HUMANOID
by silvereyed angel
Summary: "No! You're not a thing, you're not his slave. He can't use you like a lifeless machine. You're.. You're my brother!" Joe saw the machinery behind the eyes spin and rattle as he stared into them. "Bro-ther?" Nick questioned. JONAS la
1. of empty space and empty beds

**Do. Not. Own.  
Posted way too early for ****chibiyugixyami**** in the hope that this'll take her mind of things**

_Prologue_

"Mom!" Joe yelled as he stepped through the door of the fire-house. "I'm home!" – "Not thanks to Kevin…" he muttered in an afterthought.  
His brother hadn't shown up at Horace Mantis Academy today, like he always did, to pick Joe up in his shiny, new, red, environment friendly-whatever car.  
That alone was strange on itself. Kevin never skipped a chance to show off his beloved 'baby'.

What was strange too was that only Elvis lazily raised his head at Joe's entrance. Like he wanted to say: "Shut up, I'm in the middle of a really nice slumber and I'd like to continue without your screams for attention…" but found himself once again unable to do so.  
Joe shot him a weird look before he walked up the stairs to see if he could find Kevin there –maybe fallen asleep– but he could swear the dog had something against him, or at least preferred people with curly hair, because he always happily ran over and licked face if Kevin or Frankie –Joe's other brother— walked through the door.

Joe shrugged and forced his mind to stay away from the 'our dog is weird' topic.  
He walked into their room, which covered almost the entire upper floor. Though only 2/3 of it was used, since Kevin had never needed much space anyway and Stella had had the plans for his part ready before she had ever even seen the space.  
And since his best friend was a very practical person, the space behind the three fire-poles had been left open for as long as Joe could remember.

He walked over to his brother's bed (which was fairly small compared to Joe's massive, king-sized bed) and threw back the blue covers. –Chinese silk, mind you. Kevin might not need much, but the things he _did_ have, had to be perfect— but Kevin wasn't there.

Once again; how strange, Joe mused, his arm crossed and his eyes narrowed. Where could his older brother be?  
He obviously wasn't on the roof or hidden somewhere in a corner, because the perfectly polished guitars (an acoustic, a slender red electric and a fairly larger white guitar) were still proudly and for once, silently hanging in their rack.

He was probably at the park; Joe concluded as another part of his brain continued with the half-formed plan in the back of his head about pairing up with Frankie to buy his brother the shiny blue guitar he wanted.  
Kevin liked just sitting at the park, observing kids and ducks, or reading a book, maybe some other stuff that most people wouldn't necessarily do. Joe referred to those things as 'Kevin-things'. But he loved his brother for it, so it didn't matter.

Frankie was still at school, obviously, so that left the question of where mom was hanging out. Since dad was probably still at his work; the New-Jersey department for population registration.  
Joe didn't know exactly what that name covered, but his father was helping people in danger, needed or wanted a new personality and he registered newborn life; A honourable job, or so he told his middle-son.

Joe snatched a bag of pretzels from underneath Kevin's bed and walked to the fire-poles, thinking of maybe going over to Stella's and helping her with some designs (she wanted to be a designer and Joe _did_ have some bright stylistic ideas every now and then… Or he could function as a mannequin) or he might go to pick up Frankie, just in case Kevin had forgotten about him too.

"Oh, hi honey. Can you give me a hand with these?"

Joe turned around, putting the bag of pretzels on the kitchen-counter immediately when he saw his mom carrying a heavy looking load of groceries.

"Mom! One day you're going to give yourself a hernia!" He told the red-head, rushing over and taking over the groceries and easily putting them on the counter too, already making a start with putting them in the right closets, but his mom's hand stopped them.

"I'll do that. I'd much rather you got the rest of it…" –"there's _more!_"— "out of the car. Come to think of helping hands, where is your brother?"

Joe shrugged. "I don't know, he probably went to the park or something and forgot I had school, like everybody else that isn't in college."

His mom shot him a weird look. "But he said he was on his way to pick you up just minutes before I went shopping…"

Joe once again shrugged. "He probably got distracted on the way." He remarked and his mom completely agreed. Kevin's mind just wasn't that focussed sometimes, but nobody really noticed anymore, it was part of who the eldest of the three Lucas-brothers was.

"I probably should go pick up Frankie then." Joe said. "After I get your groceries."

His mom smiled, leaning back against the counter. "You're an angel, Joe."

"I know."

* * *

Frankie practically flew out of the car, making his backpack hit the door, twice. "Mind mom's car, Frankster." Joe automatically corrected his little brother, who muttered an apology and ran through the doors, only to be tackled by one excited blonde dog, who –once again— completely ignored Joe.

Joe rolled his eyes at the dog. The animal could be so weird sometimes.

"Mom!" he yelled for the second time that day. "We're home! Is Kevin back yet?"  
The words made it_ sound _like Joe was concerned, but he just really just felt like scolding his brother for forgetting him.

"No, he didn't. But he'll be back soon; he's always on time for dinner. I swear the kid has a build-in dinner-timer." His mom shouted back from somewhere in the back of the house.

Joe mentally agreed and reclaimed his bag of pretzels, before he walked upstairs. Stella would probably call in a few minutes, stressing about a fashion-disaster or just because she felt like it. It was one of the things that were part of Joe's daily routine and he loved it. He had to admit his feelings for the blonde girl had shifted a bit in the last couple of months. She _was_ really pretty, even when she wasn't perfectly dolled up and styled.

Sandy had to yell 4 times before Joe finally broke off the conversation that evening for dinner. He did feel a little guilty, because he had a) annoyed his mom, though she understood and loved Joe's relationship with his best friend and b) he hadn't even started on his homework yet.

And when he slid downstairs, c) the empty chair of his brother, of whom he hadn't thought for hours, staring at him accusingly, was added to the list.

"Kevin's still not home, is he?" he stated, still standing by his fire-pole, looking at his mom with pleading eyes, willing her to give him an answer that would end Joe's worries.

His mom just shook her head.

* * *

Joe watched movie after movie that night, to get his mind of things and he even tried to call the Shoe, but he was probably out with his 'cooler' friends. Some rockstar dudes Joe didn't like very much.  
And when he had watched through 'scream until you die screaming' – 'cry until you die crying' and all their sequels, he put his Ipod on full volume and fell asleep with swtichfoot blaring in his ears.

He woke up around two in the morning, with an aching neck and that feeling in his ears you get when you have your earphones in for too long a time.  
At first, the flat haired Lucas boy didn't really get why he was sprawled out over the couch, when his bed was only feet away. But it all struck him soon enough.

With a sharp twist of his neck –ouch, damn, bad idea with an aching neck— he tried to look through the darkness in the room.  
When his eyes decided they didn't want to work with him, he cautiously stood up from his snug, warm space on the couch and walked towards Kevin's bed.

His hand extended towards the sheets, grasping the soft blue material.

He pulled and the slick fabric soundlessly slid of the bed.

No Kevin.

===== At the same time, a few miles north =====

"Are you sure? Are you sure he has the right genes?" The taller of 2 dark figured asks the smaller. They are looming over the motionless body on the grey metal table, watching as its chest rises and falls, the eyes restlessly flickering behind closed lids, but too far gone for the 2 to even consider the risk of awakening. The small shadow has done its work well.

"Yes, I am sure. He's different, he has got the exact kind of mixed background we're looking for and all the symptoms you described; easily distracted, high intelligence, restless, vivid imagination, gets along with basically everyone…"

"The symptoms are not enough…" The tall figure starts, running his hand through the dark curls beneath him, feeling a shiver run through the body on the table. White light making its pale skin light up.  
He and his smaller companion stand outside the light that falls upon the table, in the darkness. His partner is still wearing the black satin cloak that hides the face of whoever wears it. He can see it move slightly, indicating nodding.

"I know. That's why I got this." A hand with long fingers raises a little tube, filled with an unmistakable dark liquid.

"Perfect." The words are muttered, because the taller's thoughts are lost in the wicked happiness that he feels. Could it be that with this young man, it could actually work? "Test it and then, contact the Doctor."

"As you wish."

The smaller figure rushes past the table and the circle of light, but not before the light shines upon the wavy blonde hair that curls from the hood of the cloak.

The taller looks down once more, revelling in what is promised. "It has started."

**Rawr! –Tacklepounces and noms everyone that's just lurkin'—**


	2. of meetings and needle dreams

_In which a car gives more questions then answers and dogs turn into hurricanes. _

In the early morning, the day after Kevin didn't come home, Sandy Lucas found her middle child sleeping next to said older brother's bed. Joe's torso leaning against his brother's pillow, his feet folded beneath him on the floor. He was snoring slightly, but his face was far from its normal peaceful expression.

Sandy knew her son. She knew all of her children very well, but Joe had simply always been an open book to her. They shared that special bond between them. That special bond only some parents have with their children.  
Joe had always been the kid that had made the less trouble. He had his fair share of mistakes, but he generally was always genuinely _trying_ not to get in trouble.  
Frankie didn't really bother and Kevin was just unable to _not _get in trouble… She loved that, that verity within her little family, but Joe did more then that. He was the type of kid that didn't just get support from his parents, he supported them too. Always helpful and focussed. Joe, his daily routines, the things he never neglected to do and just his presence was a very stable factor in the woman's life. With him, she had been able to stimulate Kevin in being 'Kevin' just the way he was and he had always been the one that did the dishes and cleaned the rooms when the middle school principal would call for a meeting with her about Frankie, her little trouble-maker, but good to the core, and she had to leave on a short notice.  
Joe was simply a happy do-gooder. A shining sun in all the lives he touched. Or so her motherly affection told her.

Seeing him like this hurt her, almost as much as the empty bed did.

"Joe, honey. Wake up." She whispered, softly rocking his body, just the way she had done in the past. Only now using a bit more force, since he had grown to be taller then herself over the years.  
His brown eyes, inherited from Sandy and her own mother, fluttered open and she could see the worry and the remains of his troubled sleep behind his irises.

"Kevin?" He muttered, half awake and sleep-charged.

"He hasn't come home yet, honey." She told him, stroking his cheek and she wasn't surprised to find them stained with a thin layer of dried tears. She was equally worried and had only just washed off her own stains in the bathroom barely minutes ago.

"I have to go find him." Joe stated and Sandy thanked the lord for it being Saturday. Not that she could've –or would've— stopped him on a weekday with a motherly 'but you have school!' but she was glad she didn't have to call Ms. Snark – the biology/drama teacher at Horace Mantis, who was equally in charge of the absents list— and explain Joe couldn't go to school because he had to look for his lost and absent-minded brother. That, she thought, would've been an interesting conversation.

"Your dad is already driving around town. We can't call the police until after the 48 hours and…" She couldn't hide the fear in her voice. Just the idea of Kevin missing, for over 48 hours was extremely frightening.  
"Shh, mom, deep breaths." Joe whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder and softly nudging her back to control. "I'll – We'll find him."

It was almost ironic that Joe displayed the exact character-traits she had been thinking of earlier. Comforting _her_, while trying to make it all right.  
She caught his dark hair, courtesy of Tom, flying wildly around his head as he hastily slid down his fire-pole on the far left.

Somehow –call it motherly instinct— she knew that if _someone_ was able to find Kevin, it would be her angel Joe.

* * *

The sun had almost settled and Joe was almost desperate, and frankly, out of his mind with worry, as he walked through the stone gates of the park. He had scanned and searched through the entire green area, after he'd checked all Kevin's other favourite places, and there was still no sign of his brother.  
It wasn't as if he'd expected Kevin to be at the park, he'd found that plan really unlikely, actually. But he had to check.  
And it had crushed his hopes for what seemed the thousandth time that day.  
Apart from a little girl who he'd helped to find her mom –because she was someone's Kevin, after all— and the ducks that had almost attacked him, there had been absolutely nothing that interested Joe at the slightest. He hadn't even paid attention to Mr. Costello, who'd tried to talk to Joe about his last history report when he'd spotted him wandering through the park. Normally, Joe liked talking to his favourite teacher, but today, he really couldn't care less.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He'd been searching all day, with no result, not even when the damn cops finally saw that Kevin missing was actually different from the times they'd delivered him home after he'd wandered off somewhere. No, not even the police had managed to find Kevin.  
It was starting to get dark, the city covered in the last golden sunlight and the first shadows of the night.  
Joe knew he had to return home soon, empty handed, without Kevin. He hated that almost as much ahs the fact that he would look into his mother and little brother's eyes and tell them the eldest boy was still gone.  
Joe sighed again, trying to get more oxygen to his brain, hoping he would come up with one last brilliant plan.  
All the while, he knew he'd run out of ideas a long time ago.  
He kicked a paddle out of the way, just because it was white and reminded him of Kevin, who would've surely picked it up; seeing its beauty.  
He watched the paddle bounce down the pavement and hit a tire.

A very familiar tire.

His eyes slowly followed the almost memorized curve of the red car. Kevin's car.  
The joy he felt when he saw the beloved, environment-friendly purrer –despite anything he might've said about it in the past— was quickly stamped back into the ground when he noticed that yes, it was Kevin's car, but the person he was looking for wasn't laughingly or completely zoned-out sitting in the driver's seat.  
Instead, there was a pretty young woman (21, tops) looking in the rear-view mirror Joe had used to fix his hair so many times.  
She had long chestnut brown hair, a fair skin, a bit rounded face and Joe suspected her to be athletic, were it not for her reading-glasses and the pile of advanced looking papers in the passengers-seat.

She _was_ very pretty, even though she hadn't applied the little amount of mascara on her left eye yet, and normally Joe would've tried to hit on her. If it were not for the little detail that she was driving _Kevin's_ freaking _car!_

Deciding to just go for it, he walked up to the car.  
"Excuse me?" He said, smiling sourly (pleasurably just wasn't working for him at the moment) "But how'd you get your hands on this car?"

The woman looked up, a little confused, but eying him with a friendly, open smile. She didn't look like a Kevin-napper, nor generally like someone with bad intensions.  
"It was a present; my employer gave it to me, just today." She answered, very straightforward; she hadn't even asked why he'd asked. She just smiled and Joe awkwardly returned the gesture.

"Yeah— err… you see, it looks exactly like my brother's car and I thought…" It wasn't true, of course, he was one-hundred percent sure it was his brother's car; he'd even checked the licence-plate.  
"Oh, that's funny! And here I was, thinking it was one-of-a-kind!" The woman laughed and Joe couldn't help but notice her teeth were almost as white as Stella's.  
And she was right; the car _was_ one of a kind. Kevin had saved the car from demolition, of course being the only one tat saw the beauty beneath the wreck.

"Oh, shoot!" The woman's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I should've been at the lab already! There's an important income of documents for the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project and yeah, you're not interested." She laughed again and this time, Joe laughed with her. Sounding rather hysterical.  
"I'll be sure to tell my employers about this flaw in what they told me…" She said, grabbing a pair of sunglasses from the passengers-seat, somewhere beneath the sheets and fastened her scarf around her neck.  
Joe suddenly got struck by an irrational fear and quickly spoke up; "No, please don't. I think I'm mistaken anyway. I don't think… It's not really, my brother's just…"

"Calm down, don't get your panties in a twist." She laughed again. "It's okay… uh…?"

"Joe!" Joe quickly said, flushing at his reply.

"Joe." She repeated. "I'm Macy, Macy Misa. Nice to have met you."  
With that. She drove off, taking the car and Joe's only hint with her.

"Nice name." Joe muttered, before he began on his long journey home.

* * *

Animals hated him.

Scratch that.

Life itself hated Joe.

And fate was a bitch that liked to snap at his ankles.

"ELVIS! No—oh god, no!" He moaned. "Not my Beatles record! That thing cost a fortune! I swear you have a serious problem with flat-haired people!"

It was late at night, possibly around 10 or so and Joe had just walked up the stairs after his microwave-heated dinner.  
His search for Kevin had turned out to take longer, when he, in a snap decision, decided to double check the library once more.  
Right now, exhausted, both physically and emotionally, Joe was trying to pry the sharp teeth of his little brother's retriever from his beloved 600 dollar record of the early Beatle-songs.

He smiled in relief when he finally held the black disk, somewhat unharmed in his hands. Then, he realised where exactly the fight had taken place.

"NOT MY _BED!_"

The dog just looked up at him with oh-so innocent eyes. Puppy-dog-eyes, so adorable that Joe was almost tempted to forgive the young dog when he realised Elvis's little problem…

"FRANKIE!"

And that was just the beginning of his trouble with the golden-furred semi-angel that had wet his bed. If only Joe had known.

After he'd changed his sheets –and after he'd securely tied the dog to Frankie's bed downstairs— Joe finally fell down on his bed, but of course, wasn't graced with the pleasurable unknowing state of sleep.

Nope. Joe just lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering where in the world his brother was now.  
Wondering where he could possibly search tomorrow, what he could do to find Kevin. Because his brotherly instincts were quite accurate when it came to stuff like this.  
It had been that way when Kevin had fallen off the kindergarten-rooftop when Joe was barely 2 years old. It had been that way when Frankie had broken his leg at a soccer game and it had been that way when Kevin had gotten himself _and_ his smallest brother lost at the zoo when he was fifteen.  
Kevin was in trouble. Joe had no doubt in his mind.

Also, he wondered about the woman in Kevin's car. Did she know anything? Was she involved in whoever had gotten his filthy hands on Kevin?

She seemed smart, a hard worker and _nice_.  
But Joe had always been a little superstitious and someone driving his brother's car with dozens of weird looking papers, mumbling about a weird-named project wasn't _that_ innocent in his mind.

Joe didn't know exactly when he'd dozed off into a sleep. (Though it had been a little after four am in the morning) but somewhere along the lines, his thoughts had succumbed into a very odd dream.

Lying on a hard, uncomfortable and cold table, Joe had been looking up into harsh lights. His eyes unfocussed by the sharp sting, even with his eyes closed.

The most frightening part was that he couldn't move, not an inch. His arms and legs strapped to the poor attempt of a bed. While what seemed to be bees attacked his bare skin.  
Oh, right. He was naked too, joy.

When his eyes were finally able to focus beyond the annoying light, he noted that the things he previously thought to be bees, were in fact needles, which kept on pricking him, drawing blood. Laughter was heard every time he winced from the stinging.  
Dark shadows were standing around the table, holding the needles. Looming over him and Joe could only see their smiles. They looked greedy and Joe wanted to run and get as far away from them as possible.  
When he looked up, searching for a way out of the bright spotlight, he saw a figure with honey-blonde hair holding a little tube of what seemed to be his own blood, laughing at him with the same wicked smile, her teeth bared in wicked joy.  
Looking the other way, towards the foot of the table, he saw a pair of wide, scared brown eyes staring at the blonde.  
Macy Misa watched as little wet drops hit the Lucas's face and saw how long, pale fingers smeared Joe's own blood all over his face, while all the needles, held by the shadows, dug into his skin all at once.

"AAAAaaaahhhhhh!" Joe screamed bloody murder when he woke up, tangled in the sheets, disoriented and scared beyond belief. This dream, as he quickly noted it to be, had been so vivid and so damn more scary then any dream he'd ever had.

He was almost grateful that Elvis had escaped from his lockdown and had licked his face until Joe woke up, were it not that he now was covered in dog-spit and the dog was pulling his hair feverishly with his teeth.

"Hey! Watch the hair!" Joe warned, trying to get his limbs out of the tangled sheets. "Cut it out."  
But Elvis now had gotten a steady hold of Joe's upper arm and without mercy, dragged him out of bed.  
Joe made a mental note to next time properly tie Elvis to the bed, preferably with three-double knots, nightmares ore not.

Elvis however, wasn't satisfied with Joe's laying on the ground, bumping his head against the floor-boards and started to drag on his arm once again.

"What is it, dog? Haven't you pestered me enough already!" Joe exclaimed, trying to get away from the obviously insane hurricane that called himself a dog.  
Attempting that, he knocked his alarm off the nightstand and noted the time.

"Holy mike!" Came the next shout. "It's 2 in the afternoon!"

Panic struck like lightning, for he had wasted several hours of precious time, where he could've been looking for Kevin.  
Kevin's life was in possible danger and he'd overslept!

He scrapped the mental note of three-double knots and instead promised everything that was good to a dog to the retriever…. Who was now trying to rip up Joe's jeans?

"What is with you today?" Joe questioned, eventually, after another wrestling match for the pants. He knew for sure Stella was going to _kill _him.  
For safety fastening the belt around his hips –one never knew and could never be to careful when it came to dogs-gone-crazy—he walked towards the stairs. (The poles reminded him too much of Kevin, who never ceased to use them)  
Elvis ran in front of him, towards the red front-door immediately.

"That's Frankie's job." Joe told the dog one more time, before its teeth laced itself in Joe's pants and basically pulled him towards the door. Back to the three-double knots.

Then it (finally) occurred to Joe that this was seriously strange behaviour, even for this dog, it was so unlike Elvis to cause even this much trouble and to generally give Joe this much attention. R  
emembering his own brotherly-instincts from the night prior, he looked at the dog once more. He had heard of completely untrained dogs saving their masters and Joe knew Elvis was very fond of Kevin, as was basically every other animal Joe could think of. And he _was_ kind of smart with that.

"You are on to something, aren't you?" He asked the dog and for once, the retriever stared at Joe completely serious.

It was a bit odd, the staring contest with his little brother's freaking _dog_. But Joe was willing to go for it if that meant another clue on Kevin.

"C'mon boy." He said, opening the door. "Lead the way."

He wished for a leash, when Elvis sped through the door and through the streets like lightning and Joe thanked his time at the gym as he ran along, but it was all worth it when the dog led him to a fancy building in the very centre of town.

A red, environment-friendly, one of a kind car parked in the front.

**I'm tired, have multiple other fics to finish and I have school tomorrow, but I couldn't resist, I had to update **_**something**_**. And this story just keeps screaming at me, rather loudly. It's obnoxious, really.  
I'd say a review is in place. Or Elvis **_**will**_** come to lick your face into oblivion. Be warned.**


	3. of logos and answers

In which the term 'test tubes' takes on a whole other meaning, things get actual names and Joe's DNA turns out to be quite regular. 

So, maybe the dungeon Joe had imagined Kevin to be in –possibly tortured and starved to death— wasn't exactly the right conclusion. So much for brotherly instincts.

The building Joe was currently very nervously standing in front of was very far from the dungeon-vision.  
In fact, it was very modern, with a lot of straight lines and blacks and whites. The occasional grey, even.  
Stylish as Joe was (and he send a silent mental apology towards Stella) he didn't exactly find the colour schedule of the building interesting.  
No, he was more concerned about what was _inside_ the building.

He absent-mindedly stroked Elvis's head, more reassuring himself then the dog, but his furry friend-for-the-day kept on being nice and let Joe pet him.

"Here goes nothing…" Joe whispered and stalked on further, through a pair of automatic doors and the reception.

While doing so, he came to the conclusion that he had absolutely no idea what he was going to ask for.

"Hi, I'm Joe." – "Yes, you don't know me, but I'm looking for my missing, scatterbrained brother whose car is parked in the front…" – "No, no. Actually, my dog brought me here." – "No… seriously, I'm _not_ crazy, I swear!"

That would go over well.

But he had to do _something!_ Kevin's car was in the front, which meant that whether, Kevin was held captive in the place, or the strange woman, Macy –if he remembered correctly— who just_ had_ to know more, used this place as her hideout.  
Joe swayed back and forth, staring at the reception, receiving weird glances from not only the bubble-gum chewing, mean-looking girl behind the reception, but also from multiple bystanders.

_C'mon!_ He told himself. _Get your act together! You're on a mission here!_

Joe walked up to the reception, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his carelessly thrown on shirt and trying to flatten his hair (which didn't go well with Elvis, who bit his calve) and smiled at the girl behind the desk, who reluctantly smiled back.

"Hi, I'm Abby." The ginger-haired girl said, momentarily forgetting about her bubble-gum as she pointed to her badge. "What can I do for you…?"

She was dressed casually, still like a young person/late-teenager, but very neatly. Her badge showed off a green logo, probably of the company that owned this building. It was a strange kind of circle that formed a cross within itself. All black and it made Joe shiver, he couldn't help it.

"Err… yeah, I'm looking for…"

"Joe?"

"Her…"

He'd recognised the voice immediately, since it had imbedded itself in his brain over the night. But when he turned around, he was momentarily confused.  
She looked different from yesterday; different from the vision she'd been in his strange dream.  
This time, her hair was up in a ponytail, her make-up was basically none-existent and she was dressed in a white lab coat that reached her knees. She was also taller then he remembered, thanks to the high black heels that hugged her ankles.  
But mostly, it was the look in her eyes, where yesterday she'd looked calm and happy; today, she looked stressed and almost sad. It screamed from her eyes.  
Joe couldn't help but ask; "Are you okay?"  
It brought a bit of a smile to her face when she answered. "Yes, I am one hundred percent fine. Thank you. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for my brother. I'm sure it's his car you're driving." Joe said. Completely blunt and out of the blue, even to himself.  
Needless to say Doctoress Macy Misa –as it said on her tag— looked genuinely shocked.

"Well, have a nice day." Abby sarcastically muttered behind him as Dr. Misa guided him to the stiff looking black couch in the opposite corner.

"Calm down, Joe." She urged, her hand on his shoulder.  
She must've seen the panic behind his eyes. He wasn't great at hiding his emotions, nor was he good at lying in the first place.  
"Now, deep breath and tell me what is going on and why the heck you are here!" The stress was back in her voice and that was enough to push Joe over the edge he didn't know was there until he reached it and it was too late to stop.  
So he spilled, basically everything, to this woman he had only known for minutes, who was possibly involved with Kevin's missing and was also wearing the logo that gave Joe the shivers.  
He told her about his brother, about how Kevin was known for wandering off on his own, the fact that he always came back up until that point. He told her that he'd been gone for 2 days now and that Joe suspected he was kidnapped, or at least forcefully kept somewhere. He told her about his brothers' love for beautiful things, how his way of thinking allowed him to see what others didn't, how _smart_ Kevin actually was and that the car, standing outside, was indeed one of a kind. It was Kevin's.  
He told the doctor how worried he was, how much he loved Kevin.

At that point, she had guided him to her laboratory –the only place, or so she'd claimed, where they could speak privately— since Joe's breakdown had send a lot of stares in their direction. Even a sympathising one from Abby the desk-girl.

"Shh." Dr. Misa soothed, almost motherly as she petted his shoulder, much the way he'd petted Elvis – Just, what was it, halve an hour ago?— and the gesture send another way of hysterics through Joe's body.

He didn't cry, mind you, but his breath hitched in his throat and his words sped up until he was babbling away.  
Dr. Misa just listened.

Then, unexpectedly, she asked; "Does your brother have dark hair, brown eyes, curls and is he around five feet ten inches in height?"

Joe hadn't said a thing about Kevin's appearance, just his personality –which he loved, no matter what he'd ranted about it in the past— so this question caught him so off guard that he almost fell off the stool he was sitting on. He could only barely steady himself on the lab-table.

"Yes! How do you know?" He shouted, staring at the woman, hope rising like a balloon in his chest.

Dr. Misa's face seemed to drain of all colour for a second and she looked away, in the pale light looking even more stressed then she'd already been for a second, before she smiled. "Just checking if he indeed looked like you, so I can keep an eye out for him. I figured, since you're brothers…" she let the sentence trail off.

The balloon deflated with a strangely painful 'ppppprrrrrrrffffft'.

"Oh." Said Joe, leaning back on the stool, forgetting it didn't have a backside and almost falling off again. "Sorry, I thought…"

"No, no! It's fine, really!" Dr. Misa said. Her eyes flashed from Joe's face towards something in the room and back, after which they looked away again. Almost like she didn't wanted to look Joe in the eyes.

He tried to take a better look at her face in the dim light of the only lamp that was lit in the obviously quite large room (Joe could tell from the echoes of their voices, though he also found that there were a lot of objects, _large_ objects, in the way of the echo) He was suspicious again.  
Dr. Misa stood. She was now openly fiddling with her hands.

"Listen, Joe. I have a lot to do. I shouldn't have been talking with you in the first place." She said, walking to the door of the lab and he now suspected her of deliberately avoiding the light switch. Joe was a suckish liar, but because of that, he could also fairly well tell if he was being lied to. Dr. Macy Misa was hiding something. As in an instinct, Joe anxiously shot a look around the room, noticing that there _was_ another light lit, in the back of the room, whatever it was hidden from sight by countless of massive objects, but before he could look closer, Dr. Misa cut him off.

"I'm happy that you came here and that you trusted me with all this. I'll _certainly_ make work of this. But you should leave now." She said.  
She smiled, a mixture of hopeful pleading and sadness.

Joe believed her and walked through the door. "Dr. Misa…" he tried.

"Bye, Joe!"

Then, the door was closed on him and he realised he should've taken a better look around the lab. Something was going on, he was sure of it. He still wasn't sure if Dr. Misa necessarily had something to do with it, but he was positive she knew _something._

He wanted to punch the closed door, but decided against it; the door couldn't help it either and he instead tried to find his way back to the entrance hall.

"Goodbye!" Abby said. Her eyes having a 'sorry I was mean' look to them.

"Bye, Abby." Joe muttered. He could feel her smile in his back as he walked out. Elvis had patiently waited by the front-doors. Something he, once again, never did for Joe.

"Thank you." He told the golden retriever. Hoping it understood.  
He guessed he did, when the dog walked out in front of Joe with a smug swing of his tail.

It couldn't make Joe smile. Something in the building had been off. Call it intuition, call it a plain thing his gut told him, but he knew something was hidden within those walls. He could almost feel it, like he felt that Kevin was in danger.  
Dr. Misa had panicked when he'd confirmed Kevin's looks. She had grown even more stressed during the course of his hyperventilated story.

He fell back into the habit of kicking pebbles through the streets in the falling darkness, hitting trees and tires. His silhouette once again covered in shadows and his hands shoved deep inside the pockets of his jeans. Almost feeling them glide low on his hips, but he had no care in the world to pull them up again.

Suddenly, his phone started buzzing. It scared Joe senseless, but he automatically reached for it and answered the call.  
It was Frankie.

"What's up?" Joe whispered in the phone. He felt like whispering was appropriate. He was still walking the familiar path towards home, just passing the park and there was no-one there that could possibly hear him, but he didn't want to take a risk.

"They found him…" Frankie whispered back.

Joe almost dropped the phone, but had the sense of mind to hold on to it, desperately clinging to the little device.

"Where?" Was his only question.

"In the park. Mom's headed."

Joe immediately started running, towards the gate of the park, only twenty or so feet away. Now that he was paying attention to his surroundings again, instead of his own thoughts, he now saw the blue flashing lights in the falling darkness, contrasting to the last golden sunbeams.

_What was with him and the twilight and oh god! Was that an ambulance?_

He was the first to arrive; he didn't saw his mom anywhere as he burst through the wall of cops, medics and other official looking people that were standing _in between_ him and his brother.  
They recognised him and let him through. One of the benefits of your father doing governmental work. Only one hand stopped him, resting on the same shoulder Dr. Misa had.

"Careful now, son, it's not the prettiest sight."

Joe didn't stop; he gulped, but kept on walking to the midst of the circle.

What he saw finally made hot tears, held in within the mysterious building, run over his face.

Kevin was lying on his back, obviously turned from lying face-down into the muddy ground. His clothes, the same he'd worn the morning Joe had last saw him, were ripped, harshly in most of the cases and some dried blood made his face seem crooked and strange, but Joe recognised the discomfort on his brother's pale face.  
He dropped down on his knees, not caring it was starting to rain softly, not seeing the umbrella held above him as they quickly but carefully laid Kevin in the ambulance.  
Kevin's skin was covered in weird scrapes and scratches, as if someone had attacked him with a slicer or a grater, scraping his skin off. There were cuts too and his hair seemed to be randomly cut in some places. Bruises decorated all the other exposed body parts, as far as Joe could tell.

"He lost a lot of blood." Joe heard one of the paramedics say as he without hesitation stepped into the ambulance with Kevin. "What in the name happened to this kid?"

Yeah, that was what Joe wanted to know too, as he stared at his elder brother's face.  
Never in his life had he felt so much like the actual older brother. Not even with Frankie, who could take care of himself with better skill then Joe ever could. Kevin looked so fragile, so pale as he lay there, Joe couldn't help but smash himself up on the inside. He was Kevin's brother. Brothers took care of each other.

Then he saw it, through his tears. A tattoo. A nasty black irritated tattoo on the inside of Kevin's arm.  
Joe immediately knew this was bad, real bad, not just because of the fact that Kevin would never have a tattoo, but because of the shape.  
It was a circle that formed a cross within itself. It was the same logo that hung above the door of the laboratory-building. It was the same logo as on Abby's badge. The same logo as on Dr. Misa's tag.

* * *

**The next day, morning. **

With Elvis once again besides him –the dog hadn't left his side all day— Joe walked the now almost familiar path to the building he now knew to be named the New Industrial Laboratories. The N.I.L.  
He walked through the automatic grey doors, into the slightly lighted entry-hall. He didn't greet Abby, who livingly told him hello and walked right through the white angled corridors, towards the innocent, closed door.

He banged on it, loudly.

Dr. Misa wasn't the one who opened it, as Joe had expected, but he wasn't about to let him be taken back by the large, dark skinned man in a too tight lab coat that was standing in front of him.

"What'ya doing here?" The man asked, roughly. He was bald and looked like a freaking body-guard, but Joe had a goal. An important one. A desperate one.

"I came to see Dr. Misa." Answered an infuriated Joe. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.  
Kevin was lying in the hospital, fast asleep, alive, but hurt and plagued with nightmares. Joe had sat in the waiting room half the night, the other half spend by Kevin's side, comforting his mother and little brother and waiting for his father to come back from the police station and the hospital-offices to take over. He had slept a well counted one-and-a-half-hours, he was exhausted, worried and _unknowing_.

"I'm sorry." The man said. "I am not allow'd to let anyone in at the moment."

"Dr. Misa!" Joe yelled, knowing she was in the room and well able to hear him. "They found my brother!"

With this, Dr. Misa's soft voice called for the man to step aside. "Its okay, Rob. He's okay."

The big man send him another glare, before he stepped aside. Smiling kindly at the dark haired professor/doctor.

"They found Kevin?" Macy Misa asked. Staring at Joe with big brown eyes, her hair even more tangled then he remembered.

"Yes, they did." Joe said, staring at the woman with obvious aversion. She was slightly taken back with that.

"Was he… was he all right?" She asked nervously. She didn't seem like the trained professional Joe had met now.

"He's fine." Joe said shortly, gesturing he wanted to continue and flicking his not-washed-in-two-days-hair out of his eyes. "But he was mistreated, mangled and marked..."

He saw her swallow.

"Your logo was tattooed on the inside of his arm, so don't try to deny that something is going on." His voice got softer, became almost pleadingly now. "I know something's going on, that you know something. I know it was foolish to return, but I _have to know!"_  
He gave the woman the best puppy-eyes he had, hoping, begging for answers now. Praying she would understand.

Apparently, she recognised the look, because for a second, she looked down at the dog at his feet, before her eyes looked into his again.

"You seem like a smart kid and I've done some thinking today. Yes, I do know some things that you don't. But I swear I had nothing to do with your brother's disappearance, nor with his current state of being." She spoke quickly, gesturing him to come inside. "No, its okay, Rob." She said to the man, who tried to block Joe. "He has the right to know."  
Her voice sounded really tired. Almost exhausted. Some heavy thinking she must've been doing, Joe mused.

Joe walked in and finally saw the whole insides of the laboratory. It looked more like a science-fiction setting then he'd thought possible. Huge cupboards filled with books covered the nearby wall, as well as file-closets and the nearby floor was set for the usual lab tables, similar to the ones in Joe's biology-class. But the back of the room, and with that, the _largest _part of the room, was stocked with advanced looking technology. Joe guessed them to be computers or difficult machines.  
There were also humongous empty glass things filled with strange lights and there were wires _everywhere_.  
How he hadn't noticed this before puzzled Joe.  
Luckily, the room was darkly tinted, so the bright light coming from the tubes and the lab-lights didn't blind his eyes.

"Do you know what the New Industrial Laboratories do, Joe?" Dr. Misa asked as she gestured him to the same stool he had been seated on previously.  
The so called Rob went to stand on the other side of the table.

"Not really." Joe confessed.

"We are a governmental corporation that experiments with biologic tissue and the latest technologies like the nano-technology and artificial intelligence."

The answer was very straight forward; Joe liked it.

"Yesterday morning, I received interesting supplements of DNA." Dr. Macy continued.  
Joe wondered how high of a professor she actually was, since she worked with such long, tongue-breaking words. "Around the same time my superiors gave me the car you claim to be your brothers." Dr. Misa raised her hand to silence Rob, who tried to say something. "Let me finish!" She told him, once again letting the stress slip into her speech.

"The DNA was obviously male, slightly older then yourself, with dark hair, brown eyes, curls and around five foot ten inches in height." _The description she'd given him of Kevin earlier, could it be…?_ "I believe this to be the DNA of your brother. And I am truly sorry for not telling you earlier and the fact that it was apparently taken without his approval. I am also sorry of what I did to it, knowing he was obviously not in charge of it being drained from him." She said, making anger flare up inside Joe's chest, not directed towards her, but towards her superiors.  
"I am however still pleased with the samples. They're unique, Joe. Because, as you told me, your brother is unique. His DNA strands are like exquisite ingredients to a cook. They're simply fascinating. The structure is perfect for what we are doing, the way it works almost strange. I won't go into the details, you wouldn't understand, just believe me when I say that they are and with that, I don't completely blame my bosses for not taking the chances of denial. But I _am_ truly sorry, Joe."

Joe, not completely an idiot himself, though his DNA was supposedly regular, had caught on to the hidden meaning within her words. "Apology accepted." He replied, still a bit dazed from all the information he'd gotten. "But… What exactly do you use Kevin's DNA for?"

Dr. Misa sighed and Joe saw the big man Rob sending her a warning glance. "You cannot tell 'im, Macy!" he almost hissed. His voice raised, though it was still deeper then Joe's regular voice.

"He has the right to know, Rob." Macy– Dr. Misa replied. "It's practically his brother!"  
Big Rob didn't have a reply to this.

Dr. Misa sighed once again and Joe felt Elvis press himself into Joe's leg anxiously. "The reason I was so secretive is in the back of the room, Joe. Why don't you… Why don't you go see for yourself?"

Slowly, Joe stood up from the stool and looked at Dr. Misa. Fright was most probably obvious in his eyes, but all the doctor did was send him a reassuring smile. A grunt from Rob startled him and he quickly walked towards the back of the room, around multiple large objects he didn't want to know the usage of right now, until both the persons behind him were out of sight and he seemed to be all alone with Elvis, who followed closely.

Cautiously, he walked closer to the back of the room. It was clear where he was headed. The brightest light, the light he'd seen the previous day, came from a large transparent sort of glass tube, towering above his head and twice Joe's width. It was attached to wires, some thin, some a big as his thigh.  
Now that he was closer, the light was even brighter, but he could look through the glass and his stomach turned at the sight within.

Inside the massive thing flowed something that had the silhouette of a human being. And Joe would have thought it to be human; because it looked very much like a human, if it hadn't been for the shining, robotic plates that covered its chest. Joe would've mistaken it for a boy, not much older, probably younger then he was if it hadn't been for the blue light that shone through gaps in the pale skin –if it even was skin– and if it hadn't been for the jolts and wires that he saw, connected it's leg to it's hip.

What took him back the most, however, was its face, which was unmistakably human. It was pale underneath the familiar black curls, the same shade Kevin's had when he was sick. Its face was so familiar, yet so strange that he felt himself staggering backwards, almost tripping over Elvis, who –of course— curiously walked closer to the curled… whatever it was.  
Joe gasped as he slapped his hand in front of his own mouth.

_"His DNA strands are like exquisite ingredients to a cook."  
"He has the right to know, Rob. It's practically his brother!"  
"I don't completely blame my bosses for not taking the chances of denial…"_And then his own question.

_"What exactly do you use Kevin's DNA for?" _

The answer floated right in front of him.

Because the tube contained some weird, _impossible_, robotic creature that looked similar to Kevin, that, as Dr. Misa had said, could've been Kevin's brother. It confirmed the realisation that dawned upon him.  
_It was made with help of Kevin's DNA!_

"This is the outcome of years and years of research and investigations. Years and years of looking for the right DNA, I took the chance when I got it." Dr. Misa's voice softly spoke, warily and even more exhausted then before. "What you are seeing is the ultimate goal of the New Industrial Clone and Humanoid Organisation for the Living, Android and Silicones. The ultimate climax of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project."

Joe swallowed. He was mentally shouting.

_No. no. no. no. no… no!_

"This, Joe, is what we call a Humanoid. Held together by and partly grown out of your brother's unique DNA."

Then Joe was once again driven over an edge he hadn't seen before it was too late and he blacked out. The last thing he heard was an amused, deep laugh and the happy bark of a dog.

* * *

**Iron-claws up for imaginary Sci-Fi science!  
Oh and I'm awesome, this was nine pages straight, babynoids. That deserves a review… ;) Let's see how high you can get my stakes…  
With love, of course. **


	4. of story telling and movements

In which Joe gets the hysterics and eyes are opened, in more ways then one. 

"…" "Joe…" "…" "… Joe, sweetheart, can…" "…"

"Joe! Rob, I'm getting worried…" "…" "Can you hear me, Joe? Please open your eyes."

Slowly, Joe's eyes fluttered open, automatically re-closing them at the sharp white light that shone straight into his eyes.  
When he thought he could take it, he weakly tried to sit up and open them again.  
His vision was still a bit blurry, but he could make out he was lying on some kind of table.  
For a moment, he freaked out, remembering his dream, until he noticed that he was not half-naked, kind of warm and a soft hand was holding his.  
He looked aside and straight into the worried big eyes of Dr. Misa, they looked almost exactly the same as in his dream, but this time, he felt relieved.  
As was she.  
"Joe! You're awake." A smile spread over her face as she quickly stood up from the stool besides the table and grabbed a cup from another table.

Joe tried to ignore the fact that there were all sorts of creepy knives and tools on said table. He wasn't going to flip out on Macy Misa just because she was a scientist.  
Not even because she was a creepy scientist that made clones of his elder brother.

He accepted the cup of water with a sigh. Listening to Dr. Misa apologising while he drank. His throat was achingly dry.

"I'm very sorry, Joe. I shouldn't have shown you without any warning. I…"

"It's okay." Joe interrupted. "It's fine."

He felt strangely calm. Like he wasn't really talking with the doctor that made a clone of Kevin without his approval. He felt as if he was looking down on what was happening, rather then through his own eyes.

"Joe, you are in shock. Just lay down for a few seconds." Dr. Misa said, carefully taking the cup out of his hands.  
For a second, he wondered why, until he noticed his hands were trembling.  
Joe took a shaky breath, the oxygen made his head clear up when it reached his stomped brain, as well as the water reaching his stomach.  
"You're lucky you were in a laboratory when you fainted, with a doctor nonetheless." Dr. Misa tried to joke, now softly rubbing his arms up and down. Unknowingly performing an act that always calmed Joe down. The word laboratory struck something in his memory. A large tube with a boy floating into it flashed before his eyes.

Slowly, he felt like reality was dawning upon him.  
Things were _not_ fine.

"You made a clone of my brother!" He suddenly accused, pulling away sharply from the warm hands and staring straight at the now empathising face of Dr. Misa.  
It only angered him further, he hated it when people felt sorry for him, and especially in situations where he didn't wanted to be felt sorry for. Joe had always been perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

"Not a clone, Joe. A Humanoid." She corrected him softly.

"Well you made something out of his freaking DNA, which you took without asking and created some freaky copy of him!" Joe nearly screamed, jumping up from the table. Finally feeling the adrenaline pumping through his face as he frantically searched for an exit.

It was insane! Impossible. Things like this only happened in movies and Sci-Fi stories. Stuff like this couldn't be happening in Joe's average and perfectly nice life.  
He didn't want to deal with this; he didn't want to know what was happening in this godforsaken laboratory.

They were creating some kind of fake human-beings? It just wasn't possible, it couldn't be.  
He backed away from the outstretched hand of Dr. Misa, finally spotting a door.

"You're insane!" He yelled at her. He ignored the hurt on Macy's—Dr. Misa's! Face when he said that.

"Joe." She said. Slowly walking towards him with her palms raised, like he was some kind of dangerous animal. "You're in shock."

"Stay away from me!" Joe screamed. "And stay away from my brother! This is just impossible!" He raised his hands to his head, stumbling towards the door. The face of the robot-boy floating behind his eye-lids.  
"Joe, I can't let you leave… I…"

"You're crazy!" He ignored her reach for him. He just burst through the door. Trying to erase the memory from his brain.

_He couldn't help but notice the boys lips were slightly out of proportion. Just like Frankie's were._

No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

The sentence kept repeating inside of Joe's head as he ran through hallways he hadn't seen before. That thing wasn't related to Frankie, not to Kevin and most surely not to Joe. It was unnatural, it wasn't supposed to _exist_.

"Help me." He muttered "Somebody, anybody. Help!"

There was nobody. Nobody in the entire, damned (mind his French) building. Nobody to help him get away from the delusional woman. She couldn't seriously expect Joe to believe she had just _built_ something that looked like a human. Technology wasn't that far yet, was it?  
He burst through a random door. Just running.  
Wouldn't Joe have heard of it? Wouldn't it be all over the news if they'd found out? Surely there would be people who would've loved to give their DNA and Joe would just be laughing with Kevin at the kitchen-table, instead of his bed in the hospital.  
The boy in the tube— No, not a boy. That N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. thing in the tube was just the crazy imagination of Dr. Misa and her probably insane side-kick of a massive Rob.

Joe ran through another door and immediately stopped in his tracks. His panic reached a new high when he realised he was back in the laboratory.  
Slamming it he slid down the door to the floor, his hand raised to muffle soft cries that released his lips.  
His head tried desperately to wrap itself around what was Joe saw once again right before his eyes.  
The floating thing in the glass-tube.

Only this time, it really did seem like a human, there were no more exposed pieces of metal. No more wires or strange lights that shouldn't be there. Nothing.  
There was a boy floating in the tube. It's back towards Joe.

Suddenly, something furry and warm attacked Joe, startling him, but not for long.

Elvis softly licked Joe's wrists, as if to say: "you ok?" looking up at him with puppy-eyes.  
"Not fine, Elv." Joe whispered, his eyes still locked on the thing in the tube, as if it were going to come to life. "Not fine."

Sitting there, the soothing presence of something familiar with him, in all silence and once again confronted with what was supposed to be impossible. Joe slowly calmed down.

As his hiccups submerged again, Joe slowly rose a bit, wrapping his arms around Elvis's neck. The dog's breath hitting the back of his neck as he hugged him; he just needed some somewhat human, or at least, living contact right now.  
Joe had always been the one that needed touch the most, out of all his family-members. He loved hugging and casually touching, just to make sure the ones he loved were still there. His earliest memories were of touching people, memorising the way they felt and reacted to him.

"Thanks, Elvis." Joe slowly stood up, giving the dog one last stroke, before the golden retriever shook his fur and darted towards the tube.

Joe eyed him with caution. How could the dog be so comfortable?

_The thing has Kevin's DNA._ Shut up.

He really couldn't use his inner-voice right now.

Elvis looked back at him, as if questioning why Joe didn't come closer.  
Joe huffed. Yeah right, as if.

But after a few minutes of stare-down and now that he was calmed down and thinking rationally again, Joe felt curiosity bubbling up within his chest.

Slowly, cautiously and more then once taking a step backwards, he edged closer to the tube until he was once again right in front of the creature.  
Joe's eyes trailed over its face and he noticed it had freckles, or at least, a few, on its cheek.  
It made a shudder run over his face. The little imperfection on the creature made it look so much more real.  
The creature wasn't that much taller then Joe, probably smaller, even. Could it really be that bad? A clone… scratch that; _Humanoid_ of his brother. It seemed so peaceful, so calm. So… non-threatening.

The silence around Joe, Elvis and the thing was almost complete and Joe felt more and more at ease.  
The body just floated.

_It's not even alive_.

Somehow, this reassured Joe. It didn't live. Or at least resembled life. It just looked astonishingly much like a human.  
Didn't computer-games do that? Didn't those strange new robots in Asia do that?  
Maybe… Just maybe, this was kind of cool.

The thing didn't look _that _much like Kevin. Don't get him wrong, there _were_ similarities. But it wasn't as bad as Joe'd initially thought.  
As Dr. Misa had said. They might even be… kind of…

"Brothers." Whispered Joe, a little awe-struck.

Then, suddenly, without warning or any signal. It opened its eyes and it stared straight into Joe's

Joe's eyes widened, staring into familiar brown. Not his father's eyes, the ones Kevin had inherited, but his mother's. Almost the exact shade of Joe's.

_How was that _possible_?  
_  
Joe and the boy –not a boy, the robot. The _thing!_ — stared at each other. And suddenly, Joe felt this strange kind of _affection._

Another shudder ran up his spine. It looked so small, within the tube. The lighting made it look so _pale_.  
And the eyes, they stared at Joe, much like Elvis. Because it obviously couldn't _speak._  
To be honest, the boy—thing… it looked scared. Almost sad.

Joe felt the strange need to protect it.

Softly, Joe placed his hand against the glass, tilting his head to the side. Looking into the brown eyes of the pale body in the transparent fluid. He felt sorry for it. Locked up and probably unable to move.

_What _was he saying?

He sharply pulled his hand from the glass. Just minutes ago he had loathed the thing, now he was having sympatric feelings towards it?

Pff. If it really was something alike to the Lucas's, it wouldn't like that.  
But it had looked so sad…  
But it didn't have emotions; it was a machine… wasn't it?

A soft gasp finally tore Joe's eyes away from those of the boy.

He turned around, spotting Dr. Misa behind a stunned looking Rob, his hand stretched halfway towards Joe, like he was going to grab him. This was probably the case too.

"It... Its eyes are open. You woke it up!" Dr. Misa said. "Well _done_, Joe!"

"I didn't really mean to, Dr. Misa, I don't even know how." Joe muttered, reaching for Elvis.

Dr. Misa rushed around Rob and engulfed Joe in a hug, standing on her tiptoes to reach around his neck. She was really small.  
"Please, just call me Macy. I feel so old when people call me Doctor." She whispered, giggling.  
Joe couldn't help but laugh a bit too, though weakly.

"Listen, I'm really, really sorry, Joe. This is my entire fault." She began, but Joe once again interrupted her.  
"I must say that most of this is your fault, sorry, but I was out of line too. I don't _really_ think you are insane. Just a _little_ bit crazy."

She smiled, probably glad that he was forming full sentences again.

"Can't deny that one." She stepped away from Joe, looking at the boy with eyes that reminded Joe of the way his mom looked at him.

"A little explanation could help though." He hinted.

Dr. Misa— Macy nodded and pointed towards the front of the room again. They walked past the big man Rob, who was still kind of stunned.  
Elvis strangely stayed where he was beside the tube, though he glanced at Joe longingly. Joe couldn't say if he was pleased or taken back with that.

When Joe had once again settled on once again the same stool, his hands on his knees, Macy started.

"As you might remember. The first Humanoid of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project back there was created out of Kevin's DNA." Macy eyed him, checking if he was going to freak again, after she said this, but Joe stayed silent (even though it still freaked him out) and she continued. "He is the first, as I said, in what is a plan to create surrogate-humans. It's governmental and completely legal, I can assure you. And I will make sure that the abuse of your brother, as I recall he was in a bad shape when you found him, will not be something my supervisors will soon forget." Macy grimaced in obvious anger, before she took a deep breath to continue. "Since you know way too much already and even though said supervisors haven't kept their _promises_ either." She sounded seriously bitter, her brown eyes narrowed. "I decided I'll just tell you the whole ordeal. As I said yesterday, you deserve to know, even though you are way too curious for your own good." She winked, so Joe knew she was joking. "From experience, I know curiosity can only be tamed with knowledge. You'd find out one way or another, I'm sure." Joe blushed, because she was probably right.

"Human race has had problems over the centuries and when we were simple, those problems were simple too. But nowadays, now that every day, we proceed to jump forward, in technology, in knowledge. In basically everything, those problems have jumped forward too. People don't want to do their own dirty-work anymore. Escalated diseases take more lives everyday, sometimes taking those who try to cure it with them. That, and the fact that people want luxury and thus things that take care of them. The Humanoid-project was created to solve these problems. Humanoids, completely sterile, to cure those with contagious diseases. Surrogate-humans to do the work we find too hard or too dirty to do with ease, because they would have over-exaggerated human abilities."

She smiled and sighed, lovingly staring to the back of the room. "They are, of course, objects, meant for usage. I mean, think about it; butlers that do exactly as you ask. Bodyguards that can not be killed. The most efficient workers you've ever seen. The most skilled hands, programmed for success."

It did sound rather cool, when she put it like that.

"My grandfather was one of the first to enrol in the project, about ten years ago. He dedicated his last years to the project; it _was_ his life, for what remained of it. He had a vision. Humanoids, created by the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project, helping people all over the world, there where our hands stopped, their hands would continue, steered by us. In his mind; in _my_ mind, the Humanoids can change the world for the better."

Joe seemed to be glued to her lips by now, as he followed them when they told their story.

"He was an extraordinary smart man, my grandfather, gave up his well-deserved retirement for the project. Had done so many good things in his life with his extreme intelligence. They say I inherited his brain." She smiled again, standing up from her position to mindlessly walk through the lab, remembering. "I adored him, of course, as a baby; I was always playing around in his lab. He was the one that inspired my dream of becoming a scientist myself, he was the one that taught me everything I know and not just about the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project. He died trying to change the world, to help all those around him. And I'm continuing his work, I'm standing in his footprints, exploring further where he stood, completing his vision. And thanks to your brother's DNA, I could. I have created the first Humanoid of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project. The first artificial human, Joe. I completed my grandfather's journey."

Macy's brown eyes stared at Joe, with joy. And Joe finally understood.  
The boy, Humanoid, whatever in the tube wasn't dangerous. Not at all. It was created by this woman, in hopes to help. In the hopes to help the world a little.  
And to be honest, Joe thought it kind of needed that.  
Joe saw it in her eyes. She was completely honest. (As said before, Joe had a thing with honesty) She had none but good intensions.

"Okay." He said, startling Macy. "I get it now. It's good. You're definitely not crazy anymore."

That made her smile. Smile brightly.

"Thank you Joe." She whispered, once again hugging him.

The voice of big Rob (yeah, Joe referred to him as that now) interrupted them and Joe's little moment of realisation.

"Um… Dr. Macy?" apparently big Rob had found a middle way with the name. "The Humanoid just moved."

Joe felt Macy's eyes grow wide.

"The first humanoid of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project just moved?"

Joe pulled away from their hug and huffed. "Oh for gods' sake, just give it a name!" he told the woman, a little irritated.  
He meant; it _was_ partially human, wasn't it.

Macy was smiling hugely as she stared at him. "Of course, of course! A name. Oh gods, he just moved. A name."  
Joe just might come back on the 'Macy being slightly crazy' thing. She wasn't exactly the most professional scientist he'd ever met. –not that he'd met that many, really—.  
But he liked her. The joy on her face and the wild swing of her loosened brown hair made Joe smile.

"What should we call it?"

Joe thought about it for a second.

"Nick." He said. "That suits, doesn't it?"

Macy just smiled as they half-ran towards the back of the room. And indeed, there was the boy –Nick. His eyes open and his hand pressed against the glass, in the same spot Joe's had been earlier.

"Nick." Joe exhaled.

* * *

**-at the same time. A few floors above-**

"Are you sure?" the man behind the desk, his chair turned towards the window says. "He moved?"

The smaller figure, this time without the cloak nods. "Yes and his eyes opened for the young man. I don't see why Dr. Misa trusts him, but the Humanoid reacts to him."

The man in the chair turns around, his face still hidden in the shadows of his chair. "Didn't you say that he was related to the boy you drained the DNA from?"

Once again the small figure nods. "Yes, a sibling. Too curious for his own good and way too close to our case. But apparently, he could be of use."

"Yes, yes. That was what I was thinking. The Humanoid reacts to him you say?"

One more nod, before the young female stops moving altogether.

"Well, we've kept our secret from the doctor and her moron helper. We can handle a teenage boy, don't you think? And if not, you will have a new object of entertainment; now will you not, Penny?"  
The blonde girl smiles. The smile doesn't reach her blue eyes. Her hands are folded over her skirt. She seems so innocent.

"Now, make sure our little nosy friend stays, will you darling? We shall see if he can be of use. Who knows, maybe he has some interesting secrets of himself…"

Penny nods one last time before she turns around. The man in the chair softly laughs. His Humanoid, just stories down, is growing. Steadily, the pieces to his plan are falling together. An added piece won't hurt the picture that much and it can be removed if necessary. Just like the doctor and her delusional ideas of 'helping the world'.  
In this world people created, one had to make the world work for oneself. And with that Humanoid… Yes, his plan was definitely completing itself. One piece after another.

* * *

_Who am I? Where am I? I should be doing something. Inhaling... A body needs oxygen to survive. But I am unable to. I can not move, though I am locked up in what is 3.298 times my body mass._  
_Where am I? Where are those brindle irises I registered previous? Their pupils were dilated. Indicating fright, maybe sadness._

_I feel movement; I can sense them around me._  
_What do they want with me?_

* * *

**So, for those of you who still don't get it; Nick is the humanoid. Once again, my story is woven all around him.  
Though this time in Joe's PoV, which is different for me. It makes Silver happy.  
I am also very happy that the JONAS la episodes are finally airing. There are a lot of interesting characters that I can totes use for this story! Oh, those poor characters, they have no idea what they are into.  
Well, at least chibiyugixyami hasn't gotten her hands on them yet. Emphasis on the 'yet'.  
Oh and for the sake of it *cough* snowfallxo *cough* pretend that Joe and Nick have roughly the same eye-colour, yes?  
I'd also like to thank Kelly White Peach Lover and YourDreamer138 for their awesome reviews thus far. I don't necessarily demand reviews, because reading itself is something I like to see you doing, but I do greatly appreciate the feedback.**

Sorry that this is slightly shorter then the previous, babynoids, but I am busy with packing.  
From the 24th, I will be happily (though a little remorsefully) camping for 2 whole weeks.  
Without. Internet.  
TORTURE.  
But hopefully worth it because I please the ones I love… *sigh*  
And I do apologise that I will not update in that time, but I _will_ write, so expect an update soon after that.  
I miss you already… *wipes away tear with Humanoid-claw*  
yours truly,  
~Silvereyed Angel. 


	5. of consciousness and how to continue

In which Joe meets Penny, our respect for Macy increases severely and procedures go wrong. 

Joe, Elvis by his side, Macy and big Rob all stared at the kind-of-boy in the tube, who seemingly tried to do something. No-one knew what. Though Macy seemed outrageously happy that he was. She edged closer in wonder, holding a clipboard, every now and then writing something down.

Its hand was pressed against the glass and the eyes seemed to watch them as they watched him. Or more specifically; the young man with the flat hair.  
_Could it do that?_ Wondered Joe.

"C'mon, Joe. You can come closer." Macy said, marvelling in her scientific break-through, without doubt.  
Joe followed her towards _it_, for he was still unable to see the creature as a 'he', especially not after Macy's earlier explanation;

_"They are, of course, objects, meant for usage."_

Still, Joe searched for its eye-contact, with Macy watching him as he slowly lifted his hand towards the spot the humanoid touched.  
Their hands now touched, on either side of the glass and somehow, this made a shudder run all the way through Joe's spine. His eyes didn't even notice the bright light from the tube anymore.  
Neither did the humanoid's eyes for that matter.  
Now that Joe could take a close look at them from such a short distance, he saw that the eyes didn't acknowledge the light entirely, as they focused solely on Joe's face. _Separately._  
Joe gulped as he watched its right eye zoom into him first, the left following barely half a second later. Joe wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been standing so close.  
The humanoid, now called Nick (and it was absolutely really strange that it had a name) then opened its mouth and Joe could clearly see a normal tongue and normal white, though slightly sharp teeth. No sign of anything artificial. It looked like it wanted to take a deep breath.  
Or yawn. One could never be sure.  
The eyes widened in sudden panic when it moved its lips. It pulled away from the glass and suddenly slammed both its hands against the tube with so much power that Joe feared the glass would break. It didn't, but the Humanoid's body started to jerk and move within the unbreakable tank in complete panic, or so it seemed.

_What was happening? Was it okay?  
_Those were the first and last thoughts that passed through Joe's mind, before big Rob pushed him aside. _  
_  
In the minutes that followed, Joe's respect for Macy increased with about 200%.  
Not that he hadn't respected her before that, but seeing her in action was a whole lot different then just watching her walk around in her lab-coat.

She quickly, but calmly ordered big Rob around, who in his turn, immediately reacted to them, no moment of doubt before he did exactly what she asked. She pushed Joe aside once more to closely examine the boy –Nick— in the tube, her eyes shot over his grimacing face and unnaturally moving limbs.

"He's trying to breathe, of course! I should've started the procedure…" She concluded. "We have to get him out, this instant. Rob! Get the table. Now!"

Joe just stood there, watching the scene fold before his eyes.  
_It breathed? _

A thing that looked like a keyboard (probably just a thousand times more technical) rose from the bottom of the glass tube and Macy's long fingers started to press buttons and touch screens like little athletes. Olympic-athletes, surely.  
From the right, big Rob arrived with a table that looked similar to the one Joe had been laying on previously, only this too looked like it had come straight out of a star-trek/star-wars/sci-fi- whatever movie. Futuristic and extremely frightening. Elvis pushed himself against Joe's legs.  
There were more wires, for now hung loose over the sides of the table and technical panels covered the surface, looking like they were waiting to be attached to something.  
Joe also saw leather restrains. Brand new, he judged by the smell.  
This scared him, but not because of what they were made for, but because Nick— the Humanoid might be attached to them. He didn't like the idea behind that.

Then again, would cow-skin stop a robot with over-exaggerated human abilities? He didn't know, he didn't know a thing.

His attention continued to switch back to the tube, which was now emptied of the fluid it held, accompanied by a strange sucking-sound, the sound a vacuum would make when it would suck water.  
Macy and big-Rob, who had quickly appeared by her side again, skilfully caught the slowly sinking and trembling humanoid through a window/door Joe hadn't seen before and they professionally pulled him out –like you would pull a hypothermic out of ice-water— and put him on the table. The air smelled like bleach, hair gel and a hint of dried-blood that he tried to ignore when the humanoid's body started to move again, even more uncontrolled now; twisting itself in several painful looking positions until it's back completely arched off the table. Screeching sounds echoed in the large space of the laboratory. Black curls waved around the pale face.  
Big Rob almost threw himself on the humanoid-boy, trying to get it back down, wrapping the bounds around the body and Joe now understood why they were necessary, by the looks of it; the thing could hurt itself. Muscles, possibly, rippled beneath the skin as it pulled his restrains.  
Macy started to attach the wires to several points on the boy's now partially still body; its temples, throat, where the heart should be, its arms and one just below its ribs on the left side. She took a painfully large looking needle from a side-table and without hesitation plunged it in the boy— Nick's arm. A soft blue fluid was pushed into the robot-system and the body stopped moving. Still and outside the tube, it showed now hints of an olive skin, just like Kevin and just like Joe.  
When it was finally calm, big Rob immediately drove its body to the right side of the room, where Joe discovered was another hidden open-area. There Macy attached it to several machines he _had_ seen before and just hadn't known the usage of and then, weird enough, she started rubbing all over its arms and chest, a (probably overly-sterile) white cloth covering it from the waist down. It's head only slightly trashed from one side to another, still in panic, but held down by the drugs.

After big Rob joined her, the humanoid's… Nick's… – the chest started to slowly rise and fall.

Smiling, Macy stopped with her mysterious treatment and grabbed a small black device from her pocket.

"Doctor Macy Misa, report on Humanoid program, one forty-six PM. Humanoid has showed first reactions to surroundings at around one O'seven PM. Natural reflexes and impulses started process at around one thirty-four PM. Systems and control-units are still offline, added machinery shows no sign of start. Body is in clear and has officially and steadily began the third phase of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. Project."

Then she tiredly smiled in Joe's direction. "We're good, Joe. I really hope we didn't scare you. Again. It could've been worse, though, this was just the human side. But I guess this was fairly scary too, even without the robotic-elements."

_He wasn't a baby and was perfectly able not to start crying, _Joe thought_. He was good.  
Now that it was over, at least. _

"C'mon, come meet… how'd you call it again?" Macy had already turned back to the still, but breathing body on the table.

"Nick." Joe answered, relieved that Macy didn't doubt its humanity. For all he knew, she was the female Frankenstein that tried to create something living and all that.  
Nick didn't live.  
The added name made that sentence sound really disturbing.

"Come meet Nick, then."

Elvis was already on his way to calmly lie beneath the table, seemingly completely at ease, as Joe approached.

"Once more, sorry about that. It seems like I'm constantly apologising to you, Joe. I screwed up a bit, this time. I should've started the procedure immediately after he started moving limbs. But I am positive he will be fine." Her wide smile didn't exactly confirm her apologetic feelings, but Joe took it anyway.

"I'm still a bit… Dazed, I guess. What exactly is phase 3?" _And is this for real?_

Big Rob interrupted his answer. "Statistics show no unusuallities, Dr. Misa." He was apparently at peace with Joe's presence now.

"Thank you, Rob." Said Macy. "Keep watching him, will you? I don't want any more complications." She turned to Joe. "Now, Joe. I will have to ask you, no, demand something off you now. It'll sound like a formality by now, but I can't take risks." Her huge brown eyes stared at Joe, somehow looking like they trusted him.

Elvis barked 2 barks, shortly after one another, before he put his head back on his paws and Joe shot both him and Macy a questioning look.

"I need to know that I can truly trust you, Joe…" Her sentence wasn't finished, or at least not enough for Joe to answer his 'of course!'.

A girl had seemingly come out of no-where and was suddenly standing just behind big Rob (who hastily moved aside, looking ridiculous while doing so, because the girl was particulary small-looking)

"We will have to ask your promise, word and honour that you will keep our little project a secret until we choose to expose it." Her soft, angelic voice finished the sentence. "I am surprised Dr. Misa…" The fair haired girl, wearing nothing but black clothes glared at Macy. "Has let you stay for this long, but I see she has her reasons. It's interesting that the Humanoid reacts to you so early in this stage. But you need to swear on whatever it takes that this will stay our little secret."

While the small girl spoke, she walked towards him with large, self-assured steps and Joe nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt when she stopped barely a foot away from him, sweetly staring up into his face.  
There was an air of threat to the young girl, barely older then Macy.

"Well, Joe? Do you swear not to say a word about what is happening here to a single soul? Not to give any kind of information to anyone other then those we approve of? To keep the Humanoid a secret for as long as we think necessary?" She demanded, ignoring the freakishly similar glares she was receiving from both Elvis and big Rob.

"Of course! I won't tell anyone!" Joe all but spat into her face, a little terrified of the smaller youngling. He backed away when she smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes and made her look even more bad-ass.  
Joe, at the moment, didn't really like bad-ass.

"Good." She said.

"But I can still come here, right?" He looked at Macy with panic-filled eyes. The idea of not coming back was _really_ something he didn't like. He wanted to know more of the project and see what would become of the Humanoid; first-hand and not in 10 years when Macy would be terribly famous when she launched the project. Even though, he had to admit, he was slightly scared and dazed by everything.

"If you promise you will do exactly as we say, I don't see why not." The girl said, her hand on her hip, as she examined her nails, looking awfully bored now.

_Bi-polar, much?_

Joe swallowed. The girl was not much older then him, smaller with that and nothing she'd said was irrational or actually threatening, but Joe found something about her very uncomfortable.

"T-Thank you." He managed.

He didn't receive an answer, the girl just walked away.

Big Rob sighed when he eventually closed the door behind her.

"That was Penny. Daughter of the boss, doesn't deny her anything since that terrible accident when she was eleven. She thinks she's the most important person in the building; it's quite annoying, even though she _is_ probably the most important. But you didn't get that from me." Macy shortly explained.

"What she said was true though." An annoyed expression decorated the brunette's face at those words. "You can't tell _anyone_ that isn't involved in this project."

"I won't. I swear!" Joe even held up his hand, like he _was_ going to swear it. He hadn't been planning on telling anyone. He had come to like Macy and even big Rob in these few hours.  
Don't ask him how or when, but it happened.  
With that, Joe was intrigued by the 'new born' on the table and the strange rush of affection he'd felt towards it. Just a little bit more then he was scared of it.

"That's good to hear. Now, is there anything I can explain further, now that you're kind of into the project?" She winked.

The young Lucas thought about that for a second before he shook his head.

"Good. There'll be enough time for questions later, but I think you should return to the hospital now. Before your mother thinks she's got another son gone missing." Macy smiled to herself. "I take from Penny's approval that you can return, if you'd like."

She shot Joe a questioning look. "I'd completely understand if you wouldn't, of course. But I would like it if you did. The Humanoid has shown a strange reaction towards you and I think I'd appreciate a new view on things." The smile on her face was utterly adorable. If not enthusiastic.

"I'd love to stop by some time in the future." Joe grinned at her, feeling as if he were signing a contract. "And you're right. Again." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head when big Rob chuckled. "I should head back to Kev. See how he's doing. The docs are saying he'll be fine though." Joe wouldn't have left the hospital if that weren't the case.

"I'd tell you to give him my apologies, if I would actually exist in your life."  
Both of them smiled at each other at exactly the same time.  
He did really like Dr. Macy, Joe concluded.

"It's the gesture that counts." He said and laughed when big Rob grunted; "Got that right, kid."

Then he called Elvis, it was time to go back to reality.

* * *

Reality came in the form of none other then his best friend Stella 'fashion-designer-to-be' Malone.

"Joe!" She called, her eyes wide when she spotted him coming out of the hallway towards the laboratory. She had frozen in her step forward, presumably from the elevator.  
Joe looked at her in equal surprise and winced, as he realised his promise to 'not-tell-a-soul-that-wasn't-supposed-to-know' was already in danger.  
He couldn't lie to his long time cru—…. Scratch that, best friend!

"Oh! Err… Hi Stells. How are you? What are you doing here?" The best defence was always the attack.

"I'm visiting my aunt Lisa. She finally dropped that horrific dream of becoming a cat-masseur and is helping out a friend of hers on the third floor. What are you doing here?" She answered, no hint of dishonesty in her big blue eyes.

Shoot.

"I… am… dog-sitting Elvis."  
_Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame.  
_Joe smiled the brightest smile in his repertoire, hoping it would cover the lie.

"Here?" Stella said, in a tone that clearly said she didn't believe him as she stared at Frankie's dog with a clear 'my Stella-senses are tingling' look. (Stella was partially the reason Joe was so sensitive to truth) Her eyebrow was raised dangerously high.

"Yeah. Elvis he…" The dog decided he was bored with Joe's conversation and wandered off towards Abby-the-desk-girl who secretively started petting him. This gave Joe an idea. "Ran off… luckily the desk-girl found him."  
That sounded plausible and Stella's face relaxed. Why would she suspect him of lying anyway, they always told each other everything.

"How's your brother?" She asked, her expression now empathic.

"The doctors say he's okay, but I needed a break from the depression in the hospital, place of miracles or not. I was actually on my way back, care to join?"  
He offered her his arm, very gentleman-like and this effectively distracted Stella.  
He mouthed a 'thank you' towards Abby and waved as they walked out. He felt sorry for the fact that Stella would probably glare at her behind his back.

They looked like a couple, walking with their dog when they strolled towards the hospital, which was located just a few blocks away.  
Stella was thinking about Joe and how adorably weird he was, her aunt and if she was going to keep this job for a change and of Mrs. Lucas, who must be feeling horrible and exhausted, with her oldest son in the hospital and whatnot.

Joe was thinking of his mother too and if she had noticed he'd been gone for so long. (the whole scene in the lab, which seemed to become more unrealistic and far away with every step he took, had absorbed more time then he'd noticed passing) He was thinking of Macy and the fact that he was sure she would like Stella and he was thinking of the Humanoid.  
His feelings towards it were still mixed.  
There was a part of him which shied away from the faked form of 'life' and the fact that it was way above Joe's knowledge. A part that told him to get as far away from the lab as possible and never return, as it basically screamed: "Dangerous!" with a capital D.

But there was also that softer part that remembered Macy's hopeful eyes as she'd _asked_ him if he would possibly want to return, mainly because of the fact that he had an affect on the boy on the table, but also because she appreciated his thoughts. (Not that he'd had a lot of brilliant remarks in the time he'd spend in the lab, the main part of which he'd been unconscious) But he liked that.  
And then, of course, there was that horrifyingly scary and intriguing instinct to protect what Macy had called a 'foetus just out of the womb'.  
Maybe because it had Kevin's DNA (and really, was that a good thing, combined with the robot-power?) and something about that triggered his brotherly instincts. Possibly?  
Joe didn't know, but like Macy had said; his curiosity was overpowering his sense of self-preservation.

They arrived in the sterile, white environment around half past 2, a little more then seven hours since Joe left the building, and Joe led Stella (Elvis had to stay behind) towards Kevin's room on the second floor.  
To his surprise, the room Kevin had been in was empty.

"Excuse me." He asked the nurse that was cleaning. "But where is my brother?"

"Oh!" The nurse reacted, a huge toothpaste-white smile on her face. A little too fake for Joe's taste. "You must be Joe!" She spoke to them like they were six-year-olds. "Your momma told me you'd probably show up here, since you missed your brothers awakening.

_Momma, seriously?_

_… Wait, what?_

"He woke up!" Said Stella, her expression saying what Joe felt.

"Yeah, just a few hours ago. He's on the third floor now. Room 483, I could take you there and…"

But they were already gone, leaving the nurse to her cleaning job and angry mutters about 'today's youth'.

The two younglings sped through the hallways, Joe had been here more then enough times (yeah, he was a klutz, he'd learned to live with it and the countless scars) to know the way.

They almost burst through the door that said 483 and Joe _nearly_ screamed at Kevin when he saw him sitting straight up in the hospital-bed. A soft smile on his face as he talked to their mom, his feet pulled up because the sleeping form of Frankie was lying on the end of the bed.

"Kevin! You're awake!"

His brother (and mother and father, who was standing by the window) all turned to him and Kevin smiled hugely. He'd already heard Joe had been the one searching frantically for him and had 'found' him.

"Actually, I'm sleepwalking, but you're close." He said, before his younger brother engulfed him in a hug.

"Please, I'd notice it if you were sleepwalking, I've seen you do it countless of times."

Kevin laughed his sweet, goofy laugh that Joe missed so much in the last couple of days and it made him feel like things were finally a little okay again.  
A burden he hadn't known he'd been carrying before seemed to fall of his shoulders as he looked into his brothers hazel eyes, which were sparkling with life's joy once again.  
(He also tended to over-exaggerate; he'd learned to live with that too.)

Stella filled Kevin's arms when Joe finally pulled back and found a place on the edge of his mom's chair. Rubbing his hands over his face as his mom reached to softly stroke his back.

"He's back now Joe. Worries are over, they're going to find the…"

"Bastards." Her husband filled in.

"That did this and they're going to regret doing this to Kevin."

She didn't know Joe's worries went a little further then that, because he knew exactly who'd caused the bandages and bruises on his older brother and he knew precisely why.  
His brother was special, more special then they'd ever known and he couldn't even tell them, he couldn't tell them why this happened to him, to them; he couldn't tell them what was the reason behind it all; he couldn't tell them anything.

And Joe really disliked this, no matter his feelings towards the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project and Macy, as he looked into his mother's eyes. The sources of his own and the Humanoid's irises.

But they looked peaceful and Joe wasn't about to spoil the mood, not even his own, with his worries. The lab seemed like a far away dream. Or rather; a far away nightmare.  
He looked at his best-friend, who was asking Kevin about what happened (apparently his brother had no memories after he'd stepped into his car to pick up Joe) and his mom who was now softly stroking Frankie's hair, the littlest Lucas still sleeping from the exhaustion of waiting, as she listened. He looked at his father's face, which was finally relieved of the stress that had been carved on it for the last couple of days.  
He let them all be happy and joined them. This was something he knew, something he liked and something he wanted.  
So he wouldn't know what would become of Nick, the humanoid.  
Was that really such a bad thing?  
At the moment, in this happy bubble with the persons he loved the most on the whole entire world, he didn't think it was.  
The only thing he had to do was shove that annoying vision of the boy's calm face out of his mind, locking them up with the strange feelings. That wouldn't be so hard.  
Would it?

* * *

He stares at the motionless boy on the table. The sedatives will not wear off for another 24 hours, but it doesn't matter. Nothing will matter if this project succeeds. And if his plan succeeds too, then not this company, the naïve doctor or anything _legal_ will own the boy on the table, nobody but him will have the power that lays before him.

If this Humanoid survives, he will be the infamous last piece of the puzzle, the one that is always the hardest to find.

Softly, as if not to disturb this priceless object, he runs his hands through the black curls, identical to the gesture just a few days ago. The eyes are closed and he doesn't know if the key to his plans acknowledges him, but he doesn't care, for it will do exactly as he desires.

It's what it is designed for. It is designed to obey.

He smiles and knows it's not something the Humanoid will often do.

_I am once again unable to move. I feel uncomfortable. Something is missing, something important, but I don't know what it is. My programs are searching, but they come out clear every time._  
_The delicate, small hands of roughly 37.6 degrees Celsius are not present anymore, neither is the slow deep breathing of the other man._  
_Mostly, it is the presence of the young human I am not able to locate. My system doesn't understand._  
_The sensors on my head-skin notice movement and I try to start my defence-mechanism. I am once again unable to._  
_All my programs seem to be disabled. My sensors notice the human retrieving and my joints relax._  
_My calculations continue, trying to find a way to restart me._  
_Once more I question; what is happening? Why won't they let me work like I want to? _

* * *

**Hey everybody, I'm back! This was, as promised, the new chapter. I'm fairly pleased and I hope it'll make up for my absence.  
Also, if you like. There is a banner for the story in my profile, or you could copy this: twitpic . com / 250tl1 ****in your bar without the spaces.  
And if you'd like to see the New Industrial Laboratories/N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S.-logo, also check my profile or copy this: twitpic . com / 2bx8dr And the season two characters are finally getting to me and since the next chapter is written already (I'll be posting that on Sunday) I can promise that there'll be lots of the JONAS la characters for you lovelies. Next chapter, though there is one hidden in this one too.**

And please, if you have constructive criticism, TELL ME! Anything to make my stories better for you awesome readers… ^.^  
With love,  
Silvereyed Angel.


	6. of bosses and happiness

In which Joe becomes the victim-finder, new players in our game are revealed and Stella has to comfort.

As they say, ignorance, to the human mind; is bliss. And ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his head worked perfectly fine for Joe.

Not that it was easy, with everyone (read: all the students and even a few teachers) all over him and the new, sappy gossip of his hospitalized brother, when he returned to Horace Mantis that Monday, but eventually even the story of eccentric Kevin finally, though unintentionally, hurting himself, got old.  
Joe wanted to punch the suckers who said it, but he even succeeded in ignoring that little point of annoyance.  
After all, it wasn't like Kevin would've minded. Not in the slightest, actually.  
And as far as he knew, after all, it was true.

That was the hardest part, not being able to tell anyone, having to keep the secret to himself and himself only.  
This backfired in the secret nagging on his mind and his mind only with all the force it had.

But Joe was able to ignore it, when he helped his mom get nutrition back into their home, rather then buy take-outs and gross stuff at the hospital.  
He found himself pushing it all –Macy's hopeful laugh, the scary lifelike face of the humanoid— in the darkest corner of his mind when he would talk and laugh with Stella again, like he always did.  
But mainly when he visited Kevin in the afternoons after school, was he able to completely forget.

Of course, with Joe's luck, this little period of happiness couldn't last very long.  
We have to be surprised it lasted as long as Tuesday, when Stella dragged him away from Kevin to go shopping like in the good old, ignorant, times.

And he was okay with that, because it meant more distraction for him, while he was sure Kevin was nicely occupied too.  
Turns out Kevin roomed next to a girl. A girl he liked, nonetheless. Her name was Anya and since Kevin was allowed to walk again, he sneaked to her room ever so often.  
Everybody pretended not to notice, for everyone knew their secret wasn't so secret except for Anya and Kevin.

So, that Tuesday he leaned against a wall in front of a dressing room, waiting for Stella to come out in yet another adorable outfit for him to judge.  
(He was surprised she still took him on trips like this, for he thought everything looked gorgeous on her)

It was that Tuesday afternoon when he saw the blonde ditz he recalled being Penny walking hastily through the mall, her head searchingly shooting from left to right.  
This time, she wasn't alone; an equal light-haired boy (who was tall and didn't seem to know where to leave all his limbs) walked in her trail. He seemed particularly nervous, where Penny looked quite happy. Evilly happy.

A fool would've seen the danger here. And since Joe wasn't a fool and actually thought of Penny as dangerous, his uneasy feeling made him abandon Stella (she'd be safer in the dressing-room) and follow them.

* * *

He was scolding himself as he quickly hid behind a corner. For one, he was a suckish spy and secondly, because what he was doing was ridiculous. Macy (and Penny) worked for a legal, authorised corporation that was funded by the _government_. Macy had promised to set her supervisors ways straight and Joe was sure that nothing, in her watch, would be hurt again.

_Then why in the name of all that is Mike, am I following the daughter of Macy's freaking boss?_

He didn't even make sense to himself.

He was trying to convince himself (and his apparently unwilling body) to go back to Stella, to go back to ignorance, but he miserably failed.

He followed the gruesome twosome through the mall and down 2 levels. And when nothing happened as they reached the parking-area, he felt ashamed when he noticed the XXL limousine standing there. .  
Of course a daughter of a rich CEO would be found in a mall with what probably was a servant or a very lame bodyguard.

Joe turned around, relieved and disappointed at the same time when he heard Penny say: "DZ, get the sedatives. She'll be here soon."

Joe froze and mentally cursed; Kevin's doctors had said that 'sedatives' had probably caused Kevin's memory-loss. This couldn't be true, it just couldn't.

He turned on his heels and saw Penny casually leaning against her limousine, glaring daggers at 'DZ' as he clumsily handed her a little silver bag.  
Joe labelled the bag as 'highly dangerous' within that little second he saw how carefully the tall boy handled the thing.  
She, however, snatched it from his hands and it disappeared in her Prada-Purse.

Joe decided he highly preferred the Penelope Peachpit-kind of purses.

Penny leaned against her limousine again, professionally blending with her surroundings, while the boy she'd called DZ was looking entirely out of place.

Eventually a small, dark-blue Volvo drove down into an empty parking space across from the limousine.

Joe hid behind the paying-machines so he'd get a clearer view without being noticed.  
He followed the Volvo because Penny did and he saw a pretty, young and fair haired girl step out of it, while another even younger blonde wearing a '#1 HS fan' shirt jumped from the passengers seat.  
HS stood for Honour Society, which was, as far as Joe knew, a boyband from the Malcolm Meckle record-label. The girl must be a fan, though he believed there to be '#1 super HS fan'-shirts too.

His thoughts were interrupted when the girl asked what he presumed to be her older sister: "Are we going to get my CD now?" as she did directing his thoughts straight back to the older woman, who was (and he mentally apologised to Stella) completely his type.  
She smiled sweetly. "Of course we are, pumpkin. Right after we have our cheeseburgers."  
They walked away from the car, making it harder for Joe to hear what they were saying, but he thought the younger girl said something about their mom thinking they were going to get fat-free, vegetarian sushi.

He then his attention was turned back to the limousine and he noticed both Penny and her DZ weren't lounging against it anymore. They were now straightforwardly waiting for the sisters getting cheeseburgers and a CD.

"Hello, Vanessa." Penny said and Joe was grateful for the way the parking-area echoed, though he suspected Penny not to be so fond of this.

The girl Penny called Vanessa stiffened and looked at Penny in fear. Joe didn't think he would've reacted differently, for Penny looked like she belonged in a 'scream till you die screaming' movie.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Vanessa questioned bravely, though her surprisingly soft voice trembled.

"Who I am does not matter and sweetheart, I know everything about you. For example, the fact that you have exactly the qualities we are searching for." Said Penny, speaking like she was involved in a conversation about the weather, rather then an obviously threatening one, as she threw her honey-blonde hair over her shoulders and laughed.

Her teeth shimmered more then they should.  
She nudged D.Z. who advanced on the two girls and Joe saw the Vanessa-girl push the HS-fan behind her, trying to protect her.

"What do you want?" She demanded, slowly walking backwards until a parked car blocked her way.

"You." Penny answered simply and she pulled the silver bag from her purse. DZ was still walking forward, though he hesitated every two steps.  
Penny proceeded to take a painfully large looking needle –though Joe wasn't the one to judge, he hated needles either way— filled with a purple substance from the bag.  
"Or rather." She continued. "Something that that makes you who you are."

"Please, don't…" Vanessa didn't know what to beg Penny to not do and instead pulled her sister closer. "Don't hurt her."

Joe wanted to run towards them and help; he wanted very badly to protect the selfless girl named Vanessa, who looked awfully fragile in her designer close and white scarf.  
Her expression screamed: 'vulnerable!' and Joe's inner gentleman couldn't stand not stepping in to help her.  
But he couldn't do it. Mostly because all of his muscles were locked in place out of shock, but also because a little rational voice told him that he wouldn't win a fight against Penny and her companion.  
This wasn't just because Vanessa looked like she couldn't hit a dent in a package of butter.

So he stayed and watched as Vanessa almost cried out of fear and pain when Penny casually walked closer and shoved the needle into her neck. The purple liquid flowed into the punctured flesh and the little fangirl screamed when she saw her older sister go limp.

Once more, this triggered Joe's instincts to jump to the rescue, his knuckles turning white because of how hard he was grasping the machine, but he forced himself to stay and watch.  
If his assumptions were right, that purple liquid would make him forget everything if he got it in him and he really couldn't have that in order to help Vanessa in the long run.  
Kevin had survived. He was trying to focus on that when DZ silenced the little girl before Penny took away her consciousness too.

"I'm not happy with this, Penns, my-girl." He was desperately trying to be tough.

"Do you _want_ to climb higher in this business?" She asked him without looking, taking a scissor from the silver bag, throwing a knife DZ's way.

"Y-yes." He stammered, catching the knife without hurting himself, but looking at it like it was— well… a lethal weapon.

"Then don't call me Penns, or your girl for that matter and do. As you. Are told!"

Joe saw D.Z.'s Adam's apple bob as he kneeled down next to Vanessa and cut open her skin and he winced when he saw the blood run over the peach-skin before DZ caught it.

Joe hoped Vanessa didn't like her appearance _that _much. Because Penny didn't really pay attention when she cut off strands of the white-blonde hair.

"Should… Should I?" DZ asked after a while. His voice broke on the words.

"No, I'll do it; you're too much of a coward. You do the data-chip."

Penny took another object from the silver bag and handed another needle (which, weirdly, had a flat tip) to DZ

Penny wasn't very careful when she turned pretty-Vanessa around and Joe understood where Kevin had gotten his bruises from. (For he was 99.9% sure they were the ones, or from the same team, that had done the same to Kevin)  
DZ was gentler as he carefully stuck the needle into Vanessa's pale arm and pushed. She didn't even react to it.

But then, an unconscious scream left Vanessa's lips (and I saw her sister cringe in unconsciousness too) as Penny harshly pushed the item I'd seen before into her fore-arm.  
A strange scent filled the parking-lot.

"Okay, we have everything." Penny concluded as she scanned Vanessa's harassed body.  
DZ was still looking slightly green.

"I don't get why we're doing this, Penns— Penny." He stared repulsed, at Vanessa's hurt body. (It felt like a tiny bit of justice to Joe) He only shortly looked at Penny, who apparently repulsed him more.

"Because D—the boss says we need back-up." She shrugged.

_So there was a boss involved!_ Joe realised. Penny wasn't acting on her own.  
_But why would she betray her father like that? Why would she work for some creep that wanted to sabotage the project and her father's hard work? Trusting the fact that that was what they were doing..._

They walked back to the limousine, DZ holding little tubes of blood, plastic bags filled with hair and smaller bags filled with what Joe presumed to be skin scraped off Vanessa, like it had been scraped off of Kevin.

The limo pulled up and drove out of the parking-area at a higher speed then was probably allowed, but Joe didn't care anymore.  
He once again shoved everything in his head into a 'to deal with later' box. (A silver box, this time)  
Only now, he didn't do this to ignore everything, he did this as he sped towards the two unconscious bodies, on his way to help. The rest would come later.  
He knew the little girl was unharmed and would just have an eternal black hole in her memory, so he knelt next to Vanessa, ironically at the same spot the DZ guy had.

He had to swallow back the contents of his stomach as they tried to rise at the sight before him and he looked away with tears in his eyes.

_The smell that had come from Penny's little object was the smell of burning flesh._

A familiar logo, that of the New Industrial Labs, was burned into Vanessa's fore-arm and seemed to stare at Joe in all it's painful blackness.

* * *

"Joe! Joe! What happened? You were so vague on the phone, are you hurt? What happened?" Stella's voice reached high pitches as she questioned Joe, who was once again sitting in one of the uncomfortable white chairs in the waiting-room of the hospital. She was kneeled before him on the cold linoleum floor after she had ran through the automatic doors sooner then Joe'd expected. A young man Joe did not know, once again blonde, had been following in her trail.  
Joe _almost_ laughed at the irony.

"I found a girl in the parking-lot, she was harmed just the way Kevin was." Stella would've found out about this eventually and Joe didn't feel guilty for spilling it to her now.  
He felt guilty enough for not being able to tell the doctors or the police who did this to the girl he'd found (Vanessa was still being examined, though she was in better shape then Kevin had been. The doctors praised Joe for finding her so soon, joked that he was their 'victim-finder', but this only made the guilt worse).  
He couldn't tell them because it would lead to Macy and the project (and thus, the Humanoid) and he refused to do that.

He also couldn't, because he promised.

"Oh…" Stella was momentarily stunned, before she slapped her hand in front of her mouth. "That's horrible."

Joe just nodded, he felt similar to how he felt after he'd woken up in the lab.

Macy had called it shock and hey, she was a doctor too, she would know…  
So he was in shock. His day just got better and better.

He'd been softly humming to calm himself before Stella and the boy had barged in. Music, in every form, always helped and he'd been tempted to get Kevin's guitar from the firehouse and ask his brother to play it. He figured that wouldn't be necessary now. Stella would do just as fine.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Did you see anything?" The boy said.

Joe nodded towards Stella before he looked at the boy suspiciously. Blondes-he-didn't-know weren't exactly in his good graces at the moment.

"Oh! Right, this is Ben." Stella said, blushing softly. "I met him at the shop where you left me." She softly, but affectionately glared at her best friend. "He offered to drive me here when I got your call."

Joe nodded and nodded at Ben in thanks, though he still didn't like the guy who drove _his_ best friend.  
Stella calmed him. Of course she did, she always did.

"I didn't see anything, I just found her there." He answered Ben's unanswered question. "I think she's going to be fine, she hasn't been lying in the park for hours, after all." He softly smiled at Stella and she smiled back, taking a seat beside him and hugging him.

Pulling her closer, he rested his head on hers. This calmed him further. Stella was better then any music.

A nurse approached them. "Are you Joe, the boy who found Vanessa Page?" She asked and continued at his nod. "She's in the clear now, but she needs to stay a few days, just like your brother, to stabilize from the blood-loss and for us to keep an eye on her. We think we covered everything, but there might be internal damage. If not she'll recover to be exactly as she was before."

"Thank you, that's good to hear." Joe said. He chose to ignore a mental image, this time of the black burned logo, knowing Vanessa would never be exactly the same and he saw Ben starting to talk to the nurse. He didn't know the guy, but he might like him in the long run. He wasn't going to discriminate blondes now; Vanessa herself and her sister were blonde. Heck, Stella was blonde.

He just had to stuff Penny and the DZ guy in the 'bad-blondes' box.  
He felt his head was going to explode some day, with all the boxes and what they contained.

"Yeah, it's quite worrisome." The nurse replied to something Ben said, waking Joe up from his thoughts. "It's the third in a week."

Joe stiffened. _The third?_

"First Kevin, then Anya and now Vanessa. I think we have a serious problem, but that's luckily the police's department…"

_The third in a week_. Anya was roomed next to Kevin for a reason.

_They shared the same symptoms too. _There were three victims.

And this meant that Penny's mysterious boss's backup plan was probably more complicated then it seemed.  
_And if that was only the backup-plan_, Joe mused, _how bad would the _actual _plan be?  
_After all, they'd gotten Kevin's DNA to Macy, without her knowing it was taken without Kevin's approval. They were working against the NIL and got away with it. They had been able to do all that and Joe feared they were able to do much more and much worse.  
There was a kink within the New Industrial Laboratories and Joe was presumably the only one who knew.

There was no denying it now. He needed to see Macy. Soon.  
Very soon.

* * *

**YAY JONAS la characters, hope you liked them.**

Next chapter might take a little longer.

I hear that reviews are the best cure to strained fingers, though. Hope the same counts for incredible sleepyness, because I stayed up till four in the morning last night...

but it's all with love,  
Silver


	7. of telling and unexpected pleasantries

In which Joe becomes a mystery to his own brother, Macy frowns and smiles and machinery is thoroughly checked. 

Joe watched them from the doorstep; his older brother, the partially Scandinavian girl with the too big scarf and his smiling best friend with Frankie on her lap.  
He silently thanked God that they were left oblivious, especially Kevin and his 'girlfriend'. Joe couldn't bear the thought of shaking them out of their little dream world of laughing, being their original selves and shyly staring into each other's eyes. He couldn't tell them they were guinea pigs— DNA donors for some scientific project.  
It freaked Joe out, at the least; he had no idea what it would do to them. You never really knew how Kevin was going to respond to things and Joe was fairly sure it was the same with Anya.

He briefly looked up when Ben walked past him, with a cup of decaf latté for Stella, noting vaguely that the slightly taller boy had forgotten the sip of milk Stella liked.  
He was grateful though, that Stella had a new friend to take her mind of things when he, her best friend, was scatterbrained all over the place. He felt guilty enough, so he wasn't complaining, even though Ben wasn't exactly the company he'd have picked for Stella.

He sunk back in his trail of thought, back to the strange happenings. He just came back from Vanessa Page's room. Where the pretty girl and her younger sister lay in stillness.  
Joe still felt guilty that he hadn't jumped to their rescue earlier, but he kept telling himself that it had been the best option. At least they were going to be fine, in the end.  
The black mark on Vanessa's arm still stared at him in obvious accusion.

"Joe?" Kevin said, softly smiling at his younger brother, who still looked worried out of his guts, even though the doctors said Kevin was allowed to go home within the week. "Are you going to come in?" The bubble felt incomplete (and a little invaded) without Joe. Ben was a nice guy, but he wasn't Joe.

His brother's deep brown eyes, very different from Kevin's own hazel ones, just stared at him and Kevin cringed at the worry, the fright, the doubt and a strange form of curiosity.

"Joe…?"

But the second Lucas-son turned around, his back towards Kevin as he started to walk away.  
Kevin felt Anya's curious stare, but his eyes followed Elvis, who walked behind Joe like he'd done just that all his life.

The dog had been let upstairs after a full-mode tantrum, courtesy of Frankie and Kevin was surprised that the dog, who adored the youngest Lucas, would leave with _Joe_, of all people.  
Had he missed something?  
Last time Kevin checked, Joe and the dog couldn't stand each other. Joe was constantly irritated by the retriever, though he loved animals and Elvis wouldn't have anything of Joe's.  
And yet, here they were, walking away from _him, _Kevin, side by side.

Had the world gone mental when he was out? Had something happened?  
The question 'who are you and what have you done with my brother/dog' seemed strangely appropriate here.

He locked eyes with familiar blue orbs and he shrugged at Stella's questioning gaze. He didn't know anything either, but something was wrong with his not-so-baby-brother.

Joe, at the same time, was equally lost in his thoughts, something he seemed to be doing very often.

He was wondering if Macy would be angry that he'd stayed away for so long, though he'd technically only been gone for 2 and a half days.  
He was wondering how the Humanoid was doing; if it had changed while he'd been gone, if something had happened.  
Maybe the thing had finally woken up… Maybe he didn't like Joe that much after all. Maybe had turned on his creators.

It could all be very plausible, since Joe and his family were kind of cut off from anything but Kevin's favourite TV shows.

Mostly, he was worried about how he was going to tell Macy about what he'd seen with Penny and DZ.  
He wasn't sure, but he at least had to try to do something. Maybe he'd turn out to be a hero, or he would ruin Macy's career, but he had to try. He wouldn't let innocent people get hurt any longer. Penny had betrayed her own father, that much was sure and Joe was the only one that could help.

He absent mindedly petted Elvis's head as they reached the New Industrial Labs.

Joe had innocently asked his father about it this morning, before he witnessed the attack. He had not been able to control his own curiosity and he'd found out the company was way larger then just the humongous place Macy worked in, though it was one of the main buildings. There were several more –and even larger— buildings all over the country. They weren't connected, only in the fact that they were funded by the government and did something with science. As far as Tom had known, one building didn't even know what another company was up to.

And neither did the grounded public.

He'd also warningly told Joe to stay away from the place, after Joe had said it was a question for school, even if he was interested in doing science at Horace Mantis.

_Way too late for that_, Joe thought when Abby happily waved at him when he entered.

"Hey, Joe." She said, just before Elvis attacked her legs with happy-licks. "Hi, little doll! Hi, Elvis! Oh, you're such a good boy! Good boy!" She laughed and Joe was tempted to leave the dog with her, if he hadn't needed his familiarity so much.  
Also, he wasn't quite sure if Elvis would let him in the first place.

"Hey Abby, is Dr. Misa in?" He asked politely, leaning against the counter.  
He was trying to look relaxed, but he found his leg was anxiously bouncing when Elvis pressed his nose into it.

"Yeah, she passed a few hours ago. Hop along, I don't think she's busy, I just saw her come back from a break." Answered Abby, pointing towards the white hallway Joe had come to know.

"Thanks, Abby." He hurried into the passage, walking straight through the door.

He didn't see Macy or big Rob at first glance and he was momentarily confused (and a little frightened, the Humanoid was still here, after all)  
Then he heard voices in the back and realised they probably hadn't moved it yet.

"It's constantly trying to start up his programs and the machinery." Macy's voice worried. "I am thinking of stopping the flow of sedatives early and to just turn the key and see what happens. He's already stronger then we ever expected. I must say I don't know what will happen now, Rob."

Joe turned the corner and smiled at the familiar expression of worry on Macy's face.

"What key?" He asked, before he beamed at a startled Macy. "Hi again, Dr. Misa."

"Joe! How nice of you to return, I thought you'd given up on us?" She petted Elvis fondly, before she watched him go lie down beneath the table in obvious content.

Joe smiled shyly. "Like you said. Curiosity gets the best of me."

She smiled at this and chuckled loudly when Rob's big hand fell down on Joe's shoulder, almost making his knees buckle underneath the man's power.

"Glad you're back, pal. It all seems just a little more boring without ya." He said in his gleeful baritone.

"Now, Rob, that is not very nice." Macy scolded him, before she grabbed Joe's bicep and pulled him along. "It's very interesting here… Come on, Joe. You want to see something cool?"

Joe wasn't exactly sure if their definitions of 'cool' were quite the same, but it was already too late to stop.  
His eyes widened as he took in the completely still body of the Humanoid and its _opened scalp._

He goggle-eyed at the gap in the boy's head, a pulsing blue light illuminating the hole within the black curls. It looked like the entire back of its head just had been taken off.  
It was lying on his stomach, so Joe couldn't see the face.

He quickly walked closer, taken by a strange wave of courage. He watched as the machinery spun within the small space and his eyes started to tear at the bright blue light, but he kept them open as he realised he was _looking into the thing's head!_

"That's awesome." Joe whispered and both the scientists laughed.

"We're checking if it is still working as perfectly as he was." Macy explained as she reached a hand inside the gap. Pulling out a little card. "Turns out your face is very evident on its memory card." She joked.

Joe was confused again. "Doesn't the machinery work well, then? You said he—it was perfectly fine, last time."

"It was and he still is, but that was just the biological part of the Humanoid complexion. We haven't even started the 'robot-part' yet." Macy calmly explained, as she walked towards one of the buzzing computers, dazzling Joe with the information.

Hadn't even started the robot-part yet… And the thing had already been so strong and alive _without_ it.

"What does it take to start it?" In answer, Macy held up a medium-sized silver key with a odd shape and an even stranger ending that had been lying on the desk with tools. "This is what it takes. The key." She explained and her previous speech suddenly made sense to Joe.

"But he's trying to start them by himself?" He questioned, examining the little radar-thingies, white buttons and neatly laid out wires in the head.  
It was weird, he sort of expected the Humanoid to have a brain or something.

"You heard that, huh?" Macy smiled again as she took the card and another device-thingy and walked back to Joe. "Yeah, the programs are reacting to the quick growing of the body-tissue. It's like it _wants_ to start helping. It's truly amazing. My grandfather would be so happy."

"And proud." Joe added, for he was sure Macy's grandfather would've been proud of Macy, who was a downright genius in Joe's eyes.  
Macy looked away, a sudden red colour adorning her cheeks. Her hands quickly disappearing back into the boy's head. Professionally prodding around.

"Are you blushing?" Joe teased, loving the light-hearted atmosphere.

Once more a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. "Yes she is, mate. Nice move, old Martin Misa would've been so proud. If only she would believe it and stop working so hard to prove something."

Joe downright refused to let this confuse him.

"So, when are you going to start his— Err… programs?" He asked, glancing down the body before him. Happily surprised that it didn't creep him out like it used to. The scenery seemed so serene. He felt like it al just clicked.

"Well… Actually, I was waiting for you, partially, and for the okay from my supervisors." Macy walked away from the Humanoid, still not showing her face, hiding it behind her long dark hair as she checked the machinery.

Her answer made Joe cringe.

"Yeah… About that." He started, hesitatingly.

Macy looked up with worry; her hands halfway down the Humanoid's exposed back as she watched Joe nervously rub the back of his head.

* * *

Joe gulped as he stared at the door, or rather; the neatly polished bronze plate that said: "R.L. Coler; CEO"

Hesitatingly, because he was still a bit shaky from Macy's reaction, he raised his hand to knock.

Before his hand touched the dark wood of the door, a monotone voice told him to enter.  
Joe's heart raced into his throat as he spun around, beyond startled.

"Please enter." The monotone voice repeated and Joe quickly opened the door.

The room was surprisingly normal for the office of the president of the New Industrial Laboratories. Even if it was on the highest-flipping-floor (without elevator) and slightly oval.  
It was decorated with soft whites and brown. With a leather couch and even some plants.  
A fairly large desk formed the top of the semi-circular room and a large black chair was turned towards three windows that reached from the ceiling to the floor and looked over the city below them. Some paintings, landscapes and more modern ones, decorated the walls along with pleasantly shining lamps. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling and Joe's chin dropped almost to the ground as he realised it was _actual _crystal.

"Hello." A pleasant male voice suddenly said. Surprising and easing Joe at the same time.  
The chair slowly turned around and Joe was greeted with the sight of a man in his late forties, with light hair, glasses and a flamboyant scarf tied around his neck instead of the formal tie Joe saw men wearing everywhere. He wore a brown jacket and he stared at Joe as if he was a little confused.

"And who may you be?" The man, who was presumably R.L. Coler, smiled at Joe with curiosity.

"I'm Joseph, Joe. Joe Lucas." Joe quickly said, realising he'd been gawking at the man. "I'm here because I have something… Err, important I have to— discuss with you. Mister. Sir."

Joe nervously pointed his gaze towards the expensive looking carpet.

"Well then! I'm Robert Lincoln Coler. Have a seat." Robert Lincoln Coler chuckled and Joe was happy he wasn't a grumpy bald, suit-and-tie kind of men, like Joe had expected.

He walked towards the chair Coler pointed to and sat down on the edge, just in case he had to move quickly.

"Well then, Joe. Hop along; I don't have too much time on my hands."

"I saw your daughter sedating another person for the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project even though I was promised this wouldn't happen again." Joe blurted.  
Coler's eyebrows rose until they almost touched his hairline. (And that was really something, since his hair had already decided to slightly creep back on his head)  
Joe felt a blush creep up his neck and colour his ears.

Slowly, Coler's hands went to a black device on his desk, Joe followed his movements and swallowed when Coler pushed a bright red button.

"Evie, darling, re-schedule my appointments for the next hour, please. Something— Important came up." He spoke slowly.

_"Consider it done, Mr. Coler."_

"Thank you."

Robert Lincoln Coler leaned over his overly large desk and stared Joe straight in the eye.

"Now what did you say about my daughter doing something she is entirely _not_ supposed to do?"

* * *

Joe laughed happily when he returned to Macy's lab (he found that there were lots of them like hers, so he decided to refer to it as that) and Elvis half-jumped into his arms, licking his face.

_Before_ the big turn he would've thought that was extremely disgusting, but now he was just relieved that his talk with Robert Li— Mr. Coler had gone so well.  
The man had listened to everything Joe said, musing in silence.  
His eyes flamed though, when Joe was done and he had almost launched himself out of his chair as he started pacing, assuring Joe that this was going to have serious consequences for his daughter and that he would find out exactly what was happening here.  
Joe even found the courage to tell him about Vanessa and her baby sister. At that point Coler had almost started crying and said that the Page's would soon find a nice amount of mysterious money on their bank accounts to make up for the trouble.  
He'd thanked Joe with fury, but had asked him not to worry too much. His exact words had been: "I don't want someone as young as you worrying about things that are obviously mine and my daughter's mistakes. Please feel free to watch the Humanoid project with Dr. Misa, since this obviously interests you –it's the least I can do— and leave this to me. I will make sure this is handled appropriately!"

Then he'd stormed out of his office, leaving Joe on his own to sigh in relief.

It had gone better then he'd ever expected.

"Joe!" Macy greeted and laughed as Elvis, in all his doggie hyperness, attacked her face too. She was seated by the Humanoid with her clipboard. "It went well with Mr. Coler, didn't it?"

Joe just stared at her, raising his eyebrow just a little.

Macy laughed. "He just called me, in the time it took you to get down. He told me a few things –I'm so relieved! — and gave me the ok I was waiting for." Her whole face lit up as she smiled. "But he sternly told me to wait with it until you arrived. Not that that wasn't always the plan." She summoned him to come closer.

Joe quickly walked by big Rob and the panel he was standing behind, secretively pushing buttons.

"Wait for me to do what, exactly?" He asked carefully, knowing Macy's antics a little by now. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

"To activate the Humanoid system!"

Once more shocked, Joe stared at her for a second, after which he turned to the still form of the Humanoid on the table.  
It was closer then he'd expected, but he didn't even take a step back. He just smiled.

"Really?" Joe exclaimed, excitement building in his chest as he beamed at it. She nodded.

The Humanoid was going to be activated and Joe was going to be there! All thoughts of Penny, the danger he'd found the company to be in and all the fright for the unknown creature were immediately forgotten. His curiosity was overpowering everything and he felt himself bounce slightly on his heels.

He crossed the last few feet of distance between himself and Nick\ the Humanoid and stared down at the boy.

"You hear that?" He laughed. "You're going to be activated. You're going to help the world!"

Macy laughed with him. "That he will! I am sure it'll be wonderful! Shall we start?"

"Oh yes!" Joe almost shouted.

"Then I'm going to need you to step back a little, it's not dangerous, but you're not exactly certified either."  
Macy was all business again and Joe was glad, he didn't want anything to go wrong. Both for Macy and the Humanoid.

He pulled Elvis with him as he went to stand beside the large, dark form of big Rob and the panel, similar to the one that had risen from the Humanoid's old tank.

"Okay, Rob, I need you to lift all the blocks that stop the activation process, while I am going to stop the drug-flow. After that, the machinery should start up on its own and we only have to insert the key and start the fifth' phase." Macy said, almost as monotone as the voice Joe heard upstairs.

Her hands darted over the Humanoid's back and when she pushed an invisible button, his backside opened up like a two-piece-window.  
Joe's eyes widened as they reflected the blue light that came from within the body on the table.  
Macy's hands disappeared within and Joe couldn't see much more of what she did, neither did he understand much of what big Rob was doing on the panel beside him, so he just curled his fingers in Elvis' fur and watched the boy's face.  
Macy's hands withdrew from the Nicholas boy's insides and closed him up before she started to pull the wires from his skin.

Joe watched with interest as little spasms ran all over the pale body and looked as Macy's serious mask started to disappear, only to be replaced by a slight smile.

She turned around and pulled something from the pocket of her lab-coat. She extended a familiar object towards Joe.

"You want to have the honour?" She asked.

Joe only nodded eagerly, as he took the odd-shaped key. Macy guided him towards the table and stroked the hair from the Humanoid's neck.  
"Right there. In the neck, push with power and precision. Be very careful, but sure of yourself. It should be fairly easy, but make sure to use a smooth movement when you turn, okay?"

Joe nodded as he concentrated and brought the key to Nick's neck. It was shaped just like the top of the key, one line crossed by three smaller ones.  
Slowly, he inserted the silvery metal and he was surprised by how smoothly it disappeared inside the body. He pushed further until only the top of the key was left and then he turned.

Almost immediately after he let go of the key the Humanoid started to tremor more harshly and Macy gently pulled him back.

"Now what?" Joe asked.  
"Now we wait." Macy answered.

Clicks and beeps came from deep within the body and Joe heard a faint buzzing as the Humanoid finally came to life. Sort of.

Joe almost took a step back when the brown eyes fluttered open, but there was too much adrenaline pumping through his veins.

The humanoid sat up in one smooth movement as he pushed himself upward from his position on his stomach.  
Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his neck started to pull his head from side to side in sharp movements.

Joe swallowed and almost walked forward to help, but just like with Vanessa, something stopped him. This time, it was big Rob's hand.

"It's okay, he's just checking if all his systems are properly working." Macy's voice soothed and Joe's mouth formed an understanding 'Oh'.

They watched as its arms moved unnaturally, bending in ways they shouldn't and eventually clicking into place.  
They heard all sorts of soft noises from deep within him as its knees bend backwards and his skin stretched over its small, but sturdy frame.

Then everything suddenly stopped and the Humanoid became completely silent. Or rather, a human kind of silent, as his chest still rose and fell.  
Then he turned towards them and opened its mouth, once more displaying its pearl-white teeth.

"Hell-o." It said in a strained, but melodic and most of all perfectly controlled voice. "How can I be of serv-ice?"

* * *

**It's morning, early in the morning (which is early in the evening for most of you *coughamericanscough* lucky people)  
I'm tired, dead beat and more tired.  
But I worked hard on this and I wanted to update. I hope this lives up to your expectations.  
Especially since I came up with a few scenes in the shower… *ahem* TMI.  
review?**


	8. of friendship and fights

In which graceful is the new awkward, Joe suddenly becomes brave, after which he screams.

_Shadows cask beneath her eyes, her head bowed as she stands before him. If you look closely, you can see her peach lips are pressed together in a tight line, almost a sneer, but not quite, she's restraining herself. She can't show weakness.  
_  
"The brat saw me once, it won't happen again."

_He looks down on her, his eyes narrowed. Anger is visible on his pale face as he walks towards her in quick motions, before he grabs her neck and forces her to her knees.  
_"It won't. Because you will not be continuing your mission."

_Her eyes widen at his words and she struggles in his hold. The hood of his cape barely covers his face anymore._  
"No, please. I am capable of completing the plan, I will not disappoint. I promise…" _Her voice can't finish the sentence she's forming, as his fingers harshly close around her throat, blocking her airway.  
_"You have failed; you have let the company, the plan and most importantly; _me_ down. You have disappointed me. You have lacked your responsibilities."

"No… I will not, I can…" _Her voice cracks as her blue eyes stare up into his, but behind his glasses lays no compassion.  
_  
"How can I trust you, after you have failed me? How can you ever be of usage to me when your little friend has blabbed to important links in our plan?"

_Her eyes widen, both in disbelieve and anger. She seems unable to speak because of the emotions, so foreign to her.  
_"He is not my friend." _She finally manages to whisper.  
The shadows around them shift as he releases her.  
_  
"Doesn't seem like it, the way you've let him get away." _He steps away from her and turns towards the window, a look of disgust on his face. _"A measly young boy. _One_ young boy, absolutely no threat and with a knowledge that could harm what I have build and you let him escape. It's a mistake, an imperfection. It's unforgivable; I will not do with anything but the best. I take you can understand that."

_She is still on her knees, her fingers buried in the expensive carpet beneath her. Her blonde hair falls in curtains around her head, hiding her face._

"You are not profitable to me anymore." _He fingers a golden rope that is attached to the curtains and pulls. The curtains slide towards each other, leaving only a little trail of light that hits the lithe body in the middle of the room. He smiles._

* * *

There is no sound to be heard in the small scaled laboratory. There probably hasn't been a day when the room has been this silent. It's complete, nothing reaches Joe's ears. Not even the slight buzzing that always hung in the air around the Humanoid that is staring at them, the sound has completely disappeared.

It's scary, how much he looks like a human being. The way his curls fall over his smooth skin, the way he stands; his palms open and slightly hunched. And exactly that is what makes him slightly scary.  
Because Joe _knows_ he is not and yet, his eyes give him the message that what stands before him is indeed, a human being.  
A slight ache deep inside him wants him to step forward, to let the boy know its okay; that they're not going to hurt him. It wants to touch, it's an instinct for Joe, it wants to touch its hands. To use the familiar sign to soothe.  
He wants to see if the boys hand still fits his own, but he can't, because he can also see the flaws.

The eyes, though a perfect brown colour, the exact duplicates of his own, are too focussed, watching everything.  
He's too still, he doesn't move at all, not a finger, not a breeze leaves his lips.  
It's a robot. It's a human.

It's confusing and once more, Joe is torn between two thoughts. Two urges. The urge to know and the urge to leave this all behind once more.  
But he knows he can't.

Macy, once again, is the first to move. Her brown hair flying behind her as she approaches the Humanoid without fear.  
He realises it's not more then normal. She created him— it. She knows what he is till the deepest corners of his being.  
She _made _him; of course she's not scared. She didn't make something dangerous; she made something that is meant to help people.

"It's time for phase five." She says, as she lifts his arms and lets them shakily drop back.  
"It's time for the testing." Big rob mumbles in Joe's ear. "Time for the bigger thing."

Joe just nods, still observing the creature before him, which now slowly moves across the limited space, ordered around by Macy. She looks like she's having the time of her life and Joe just stands there.  
He wants to be there, he wants to help and his curiosity is killing him.  
As, apparently, is his dog.

Elvis walks forward and without anything as caution presses his nose into the boys palm and then in his exposed knee.  
It is only then, that Joe notices the humanoid is just wearing a simple pair of black shorts, nothing else. He doesn't know why it hasn't occurred to him before; maybe because he is used to seeing it bare-chested, or maybe because he was too caught up with its _looks_, to notice it's… body?

Joe shakes his head and then their eyes lock and it feels like a shock of pure electricity rolls through Joe's body. Like the eyes freeze and melt him at exactly the same time.  
Not because the eyes are scary, like he labelled them before, but because the eyes are longing, confused. _Or so they seem. _

Joe walks forward, their eyes still on each other's faces and Macy gapes at him when he fearlessly says: "Hello. I'm Joe." He's taken by instinct once more.

The humanoid slightly cocks his head to the side, like he's waiting for something and then he slowly replies. His voice surprises Joe again, soft and hesitating.  
"Hello." His slightly mechanic tongue has disappeared as he accurately copies Joe's way of speaking. "I'm…"  
Then, his face goes blank and Joe almost laughs. Instead, he smiles.  
This too, seems to intrigue the boy. His eyes flashing and trailing over Joe's face.

"Your name is Nick." Joe says, as Elvis once more pushes his nose into the Humanoids' hand. It's like they're welcoming him.

Nick looks down for a second, his movement is slightly stiff. When their eyes meet again, he repeats; "Nick."

"Because you're the first Humanoid in the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project." Joe says proudly, though he has no idea why. He just feels proud.

He—it moves it's mouth, once more cocking his head before he carefully replies. "Nicholas…"

Joe almost punches the air in triumph. "Yeah. Nicholas." He turns to Macy with a smile on his face. He knows for sure she's beaming too, but his grin quickly disappears when he sees her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Joe looks back at the humanoid, checking, but he seems normal. "Macy…"

"What is it that you do to him?" She wonders, swallowing and staring. Her expression is one of fright and excitement. "He's not…" She shakes her head. "You are certainly something, Joseph Lucas."

He feels the confusion till deep in his bones. "What? Why?"

"He's not supposed to speak, to converse like this! We can only activate the basic abilities in here. His first instinct is to help, so he could say those first few words, but his databases haven't been decoded yet… It's amazing. You just taught him how to talk."

Joe feels slightly annoyed. _Are they honestly still not done prodding the poor boy_? He steps a bit closer to the form behind him, which is silently observing him. Stands before it, like he could protect it.  
Apparently, big Rob can read his face, for he almost unnoticeably shakes his head.

But Macy is all smiles again. "Let's go activate him! And then we can go for the first round of testing!" Freaky scientist she is, even though he's come to like her.

"But I thought you said we couldn't do that here?" Joe asks, his eyes watching for what the Humanoid can obviously not yet see.

"Who said we were going to do it in here?"  
As if on cue, once more, Joe and Nick look at each other.

"Are you com-eing?" The Humanoid asks, his eyes wide. He was certainly not ugly, Joe noted. True Lucas genes.

"Of course.

* * *

_"Prove that you are!" _

* * *

Joe should've been examining the room they were in. Or at least the room the Humanoid is in, on the other side of the glass.  
But his eyes are focussed on the young face, the expression so uncomfortable, all alone, once more separated from Joe by glass. It feels wrong. It feels too distant.  
He wants to curse it, the glass, he does, but he's afraid that will only set the half-robot more on edge.

Restless, Nick moves within the round, perfectly sterile and smooth white room. Looking around, his movements become slicker and smoother with every blockade dismantled, until he isn't anything but graceful.

"Activate the speech-databases." Macy says into a small microphone.

"Joe. I hereby officially promote you to my second assistant." She says, completely serious. "Nothing fancy. Your voice seems to soothe him; will you please ask him, that microphone over there, to say something?" She points to an equally white microphone standing before the glass that separates them from the testing-room.

They went down several levels to reach it and Joe believes they are now deep underground. They're standing in what to the most resembles a control-room of a high-tech airplane.  
There are buttons and screens everywhere. Displaying Nick from several sides. Multiple point of views.  
He takes a deep breath and leans towards the microphone.

"Nick? Can you hear me?" He says and he hears his own voice on the other side of the wall.  
If Nick had been a dog, like the one left miserably upstairs, his ears might've peered up.  
He immediately turns to where Joe is standing behind the glass and stares intensely at what to him must be a solid wall.

"I'm here, its okay. We just want you to say something."

"What should I say?" Nick immediately answers, his English flawless.

"Keep talking to him, Joe. Try a different language."

"Can you say something in… Err— Spanish?"

Joe canonly stare at the humanoid's face as it tries to locate him when he speaks, still softly moving, never altering. His body now perfectly balanced.  
"Por supuesto que puedo, mis bases de datos muestran varios acentos y dialectos. Cuál te gustaría escuchar?"

"Amazing." Joe whispers.

"That's my humanoid." Macy agrees, as she keeps pushing buttons. "Okay, now give him full access to his senses. No, no reverse."

Suddenly. Nick's eyes fixate on Joe's face and he smiles. He actually smiles, a perfect, white-toothed smile.  
Unbelieving, Joe raises his hand to wave.  
Nick immediately reacts. Lifting his hand in one sweep motion.

"Joe! Keep talking."

"Right. Nick?" Joe is now smiling too; he's starting to enjoy this. The Humanoid isn't scary. He's really freaking cool, as intended. This boy can have a conversation with anybody. Right?

"Can you speak… Indonesian?" Joe doesn't exactly know Indonesian, but Nick replies anyway, though he isn't paying attention to Joe very much anymore. Now, he's examining the test-room more closely, with what his 'full' senses and what not.

"Ya, sebagai Sebenarnya aku bisa."

"German?"

Nick turns around and quickly walks to where Joe looks through the window, his blackish curls bounce. "Ich mag dieses Spiel, aber warum bist du auf der anderen Seite des Glases, Joe?"

He peers through and raises his hand to the glass, before pressing it against it. Naturally, Joe presses his hand to the glass, almost as quickly, though with less grace.

"French?"

`Je souhaite que nous pourrions faire cela sans le verre, Joe.´

`Amazing, he reacts exactly to your desires.´ Macy sighs and she and Joe share a secretive smile. `It's almost like…´

`The real question here, I will he obey my orders?´ A cold voice snaps harshly, interrupting Macy's last words.  
The glass, the glass Joe´d loved to have broken just moments ago shatters to tiny pieces barely a second after the voice spoke and the sharp elements scratch and scars his skin. Everything around Macy and Joe seems to explode and they're forced to back away from the desk and the gaping hole in the wall.  
When something kicks him harshly in the chest, Joe is thrown back, landing harshly on his back. He doesn't see the attacker, just the face of Nick. It is looking surprised, but calm as he tries to make his way through the falling pieces of solid wall and the dark, cloaked shadows that move in between the two young men.

`No! Not Joe! My Humanoid!´ Macy shouts and then she screams, but her cry of pain is muffled.  
Joe coughs loudly, dust and noise dulling his senses. Where's big Rob when you need him?

`You're coming with me. Enough testing.´

At that moment, Joe recognises the voice, the cold voice that's been carved into his brain ever since he witnessed her marking an innocent girl.  
Penny's after Nick. Mr. Coler hadn't been able to stop her.

A loud screeching noise fills his ears and he feels pieces of more broken electronics land just inches from his curled-up body. He attempts to crawl from the mess, but the dust blocks his sight and he can't hear because of the loud yelling.  
_Penny wasn't alone_, either.

At that moment, surrounded by enemies. On his knees, destruction all around him, just one thought is clear enough to act upon.

_Nick._

`No. Please, he his unlocked abilities haven't been tested yet!´ Macy screams, before Joe is finally able to find her, falling to the floor unconsciously, her face covered in blood.  
Joe screams too when one of the shadows approaches him. He fears for his life, that of Macy and the newly found one of the Humanoid. Of Nick. He'll never forgive himself if anything happens to it. To him.  
But he doesn't know what to do; he doesn't know how to defend himself, let alone fight for Macy's beautiful creation as the cloaked figure closes in on him.

Suddenly, the shadow of a man is lifted off his path and thrown into the nearest wall. He lands on the floor with a loud crash and new screams erupt around them, but this time they come from one very annoyed blonde when she sees her goal slip through her fingers again, as he easily throws his enemies to the side, trying to find Joe.

`Nick!´ Joe yells, effectively catching his new… friend's? Attention.  
It's a wrong move. He has distracted the graceful being and Penny isn't below taking advantage of that, he should know that. She harshly presses a double-ended device in Nick's abdomen and presses a button, just before Nick wraps his hands around her wrists.

`Joe.` He manages to whisper, before his whole mechanic body went limb.

Joe can't stomach it. It's too much; he can't even answer the boy's plea. His vision goes black. No device needed. His brain knows how to protect itself.

* * *

_`wrong move´_

* * *

**It's shorter then usual. But it has also more action then there has been up until now.  
And we're getting deeper into the plot! I am very excited because of this, especially since it's even hard for ME to follow what is going on at times. Holding the storylines isn't always easy.  
I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope (beg) that you'll leave me a lovely review, but even more, I'd like to say that if you like this and my writing, I would advise you to check out the collaboration between myself and Chibiyugixyami.  
We decided to combine our strengths (And seriously, her strengths make chapters as suckish as this one so much better) and write a story together.  
The story is called ´the reality of dreams´ and is written under the penname of ´SilverChibiAngels´  
Original, right? We know, but it (the story) is one of my better (and her regular) brilliant ideas. So check it out!  
Now, I hope to see you soon again too in this story too, for we shall see what becomes of our heroes!  
Silver**


	9. of talking and itching frustration

In which Joe sees sparkles, suspicion arises and somehow, Nick manages to sweep Joe off his feet. 

_ "Where did I go wrong with you?" He asks himself, his back turned to his daughter. "Where did I make the mistake that made you turn the wrong way that made you make the horrifying decisions you made today?"_

This isn't how she planned it; this isn't how she should be treated. She should be honoured, rewarded. But no, thanks to he Lucas brat, the little brother of the Humanoid's source, everything went wrong. All her plans destroyed and now, she is here, in the disgraces of her father.

"Father, I…" But she is unable to speak, finding herself empty of words.

"No 'fathering'." His voice is razor-sharp. "I trusted you with my project and you betrayed me. You're done here, Penny."  
Her eyes widen in shock and her protesting is cut off.  
"You will not be supervising the project, is that clear? It is time to take matters into my own hands and you…" His wrinkled finger points towards her, his eyes shining with something indefinable. "Are lucky you are so valuable to me."

Her head immediately snaps up, fetching off his words that he doesn't think she is a lost cause.  
"Because of your misbehaviour and the outcome of that, I assign you to the boy, in the hope this will teach us both something. Aside from the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project he is our most important object of investigation. I am..." He pauses for a second. "Interested. Slightly intrigued and even though I am shocked by your attempt to harm him, you will from now on, silently and unnoticed, make sure no hair on his head is out of place." 

_Rage courses through her. He couldn't be serious. She almost killed the boy in an attempt to follow through with a plan that was originally _his_!  
Dr. Misa hadn't been needed anymore, now that the vital tests were complete.  
But suddenly, the plan isn't the plan anymore and she's here.  
What had changed_ his_ mind?  
She could tell you with gritted teeth what had; the boy had.  
Infuriated she hisses; "Father..!"_

"I do not wish to hear it, Penny, you will do as you are told."

His voice thunders and her body freezes, like pounds of weight suddenly press down on her slim body. "Yes, father, of course." She says, but her eyes still burn with a fierce passion when she leaves the office of Robert Lincoln Coler.

The man himself sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose; He can't completely blame her for her mistake; her logical way of thinking has overruled her obedience. It is partially his fault for scolding her into believing she had to make things right on her own, following his brilliant plan, of course.  
It was indeed so that he'd initially planned to let the Humanoid be 'stolen' when he was ready for training. A mysteriously unsolved, silently dangerous and perfect act of thievery.  
It wouldn't have mattered when the project's training and the rest of Coler's plan had been complete.

But now he has an even better plan to get to the goal even quicker; the boy. Joseph.  
Not only is he far more, let's call it 'steerable' then the nosy dr. Misa, but he has a more then blood-related connection to the Humanoid.  


_With a supple movement he pulls a small tube of blood from a hidden compartment in his desk and holds it against the soft lighting, watching the red liquid slowly flow.  
He smiles.  
Joseph also has the most extraordinary DNA-strands he's ever encountered. It is exactly what he needs; little, clueless, currently unconscious Joseph._

_Oh how this works out for him.  
Soon, the Humanoid's power, increased by Joseph's talent and so much more will be his.  
Only his.  
_

Everything's blurry, a whitey kind of blurry. Blurry and sparkly. A Whitey sparkly blurry. How particular.  
Something's wrong though, but the dancing figures distract him so; it doesn't really occur to him that he could find out what.  
He just lies there, watching the sparkles. His body's too heavy to move anyway. It's kind of weird, the sparkles make shapes. How nice of them.

There's triangles, rectangles, circles and something that looks like a face. It even has ear-shaped thingies on the side! And round dots and a line for the mouth.  
That potato thing could be a nose, kind of.

A pleasant buzzing fills his head, though something hammers on the edges of it. Does it matter? Joe has his sparkles and his face to look at. It's getting clearer.

Wait, it's changing. It isn't white-ish anymore. The edges, they're… Black?  
Should they be black, something tells Joe that it should. He likes the face; it's somehow familiar to him.

Wait, wait. It _is_ familiar!

Heavily blinking he tries to sit up and moans, flipping back, because a painful headache is threatening to split his head in two pieces. Evenly divided.

"Joseph?" A voice screams and Joe winces.  
"Too loud!" he mutters, bringing his hands up to cover his ears from the sound.

"I apologise!" The vaguely familiar voice whisper-calls, still too loud.  
Joe's eyes finally focus on the face that still hangs above him, now recognising the shape of it. It's Robert Lincoln Coler. Penny's father. Penny, the humanoid.  
Joe remembers everything and as soon as he does all remaining sparkles disappear.

"Get away from me!" He screams, fighting the urge to curl up because of the pang of pain in his head as he pulls away from the hand on his shoulder. "Don't touch me!"

"Shh." The man whispers. "Its fine, Joe. You're safe now; my traitorous daughter won't hurt you." The look on his face is genuinely mad and sad at the same time.

Joe swallows, taken back by the strange emotion on the man's face. His straw-blonde hair hangs around his face, looking like it needs a proper washing and the suit, that was very neat last time Joe saw him wear one, is slightly dishevelled.

"You're one lucky boy, Joseph Lucas." He says, putting his hand back where it previously rested. "The Humanoid was able to distract Penny as long as needed for us to stop her and those who betrayed us with her. I'm so sorry this had to happen in your kind visits. But all is well now." His smile is brighter now, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He's sad about his daughter…

"The Humanoid?" Joe asks and he smiles apologetically when Coler chuckles darkly.

He points to the side of the room. A very small room, now that Joe pays attention, is different from the room he woke up in with Macy.  
Embarrassed, he realises it's twice now that he's lost consciousness.

He follows Coler's pointing finger and sees the face of Nick behind glass, again.  
"Why is he over there?" He demands, not liking this one bit.

"We… thought that would be better." Coler's voice is hesitating.  
"Isnot." Joe blurts, his eyes still focussed on the Humanoid.

"You're not scared?"

Joe blinks, confusedly. "Why would I be?" 

Coler laughs again. "You are truly something, you know that? From our security cameras we've seen that our Humanoid demonstrated his more frightening side right in front of you. Though it was to protect you, we thought it might have scared you."

Right, Humanoid. Thing. It's not alive.

"It's supposed to be like this, isn't he— it? Protecting people and super-strong and everything?" he can't help but let it sound like a question.

"Okay then." Coler smiles. "Humanoid, enter!"

It doesn't take 2 seconds for Nick to step into the room. His face is neutral, but he seems to be fine.

"It's good to see you're well again, Joe." He speaks and Joe's jaw drops again. He still isn't used to it.

"We've finished the fifth phase while you were asleep. He's completely activated and ready for what he's designed for. Reassuring, protecting." Coler explains.

Joe's face falls when he hears this. The Humanoid's working?  
Then he sighs, smiling at Nick. Of course he is, it's what he's designed for. Joe was hurt and now he's taking care of him.

"It closed most of your wounds expertly, before our doctors could even get to you. Nothing but the memories will remain."

Joe smiles at Nick with a thankful nod and then hesitatingly steps out of the bed. He's dizzy for a second but

"Are _you_ okay?" He asks him. 

"My systems are one-hundred percent fine. Thank you." His smile is gentle. "But I believe you have a slight concussion and should be laying down now."  
Before Joe can even open his mouth to counter the statement, he's swept of his feet and gently placed back on the bed, without any kind of pain, like the wince expected.

"Uh, thanks."

"I shall leave you now, the scientists have a lot of questions for me, now that Dr. Misa is a little off her game." Nick says, but Joe notices the way his face is pulled in a plain façade has changed. It's more like he remembers the look on the Humanoids face. A little playful, though serious. Like he knows something Joe doesn't.

"Maybe it's a good idea that you go home soon too, Joe. Our doctors have examined you and believe you are healthy enough, though you should try to be careful with that concussion. Your parents and brothers will be worried."

Joe doesn't turn to Coler before the Humanoid is long gone out the door, but nods in approval. It has to be late, very late, though he has nothing to indicate the time.

"Thank you, Mr. Coler." Joe feels like everything is moving rather fast. Like Penny's attack was just a dream.

"Please though Joe, once again, don't tell them anything and if anything should happen, or you feel nauseous, please come to us first? You need a good night's sleep in a trusted environment, or so my doctors tell me. They have some questions for you tomorrow."  
That's more like Joe though it would go.

"But sir, what exactly happened. I remember the fight, but why would Penny turn on her own father. No offence, sir."

Coler's face falls. His eyes look like they caught fire and he rises with a stiff movement. "I do not know what has clouded her mind, Joseph. Like I said, there are some questions for you too, tomorrow, since you were the first to notice her misbehaviour. I've talked my employees out of it now, but I expect your full cooperation, are we clear? Don't think I am someone to be messed with. This company is larger then you think Joe and running it is hard enough without this mess. Go home now."

Then he turns on his heels. His coat flying out behind him and Joe stares for a second, hoping he hasn't done something to wrong. Though he suspects asking about what happened wasn't the best idea ever. Especially to Penny's father, as good as he may be himself.

What _did_ happen, though? His head hurts too much to think clearly, but he knows for sure that Penny hadn't done this because of her dislike for Joe, or Dr. Misa. She'd wanted the Humanoid.  
She was after Nick now, which Joe considered to be worse then the whole DNA-stealing thing. Coler hadn't been able to stop her, or at least not before she hurt him and Nick.

And Dr. Misa. What had happened to her? According to Nick she was a little 'off her game' but what did _that _consist of, exactly?

Joe was frustrated by his lack of knowledge; he was frustrated by Coler's demand of silence, while he wasn't telling Joe anything _to_ tell.

And the Humanoid. Everyone was telling him _he _was so extraordinary somehow, when a living and moving half-robot/half-human was walking through their very hallways.

Of course he was aware that it wasn't exactly how it was meant to be, with what the attack and what not. But he was mad that people were still keeping him in the dark, about the robotboy, about Nick and about what had happened to him.  
Wasn't he in the project? Macy trusted him, didn't she? Wasn't that enough? He kept their secrets for them, because that was a logical thing to do. It was for Nick, but this was ridiculous.

His thoughts got angrier and angrier while he was escorted to a car outside, reunited with Elvis, who had been taken care of.  
But in the car he realised he was basically on a dead end. There was nothing he_ could_ do to find out what was going on, if nobody wanted to tell him and there was no way he was going to tell the world about Nick… they would rip him apart.

The world flashed past his window and he rested his face against the cold glass, his head was still pounding painfully and he was starting to see a few sparkles again. It was rather girly to see sparkles, Joe mused, though Kevin would have probably liked it.

Then he suddenly raised his head and Elvis looked up at him, startled by his sudden tensing. 

"Excuse me?" he called to the driver, who looked at him in the rear-view mirror with a raised eyebrow. "Could you, possibly, drop me off at the hospital?" If he was lucky, he could still catch a few minutes of visiting hours. He knew that if he managed that, the sisters would let him stay for a while, which was exactly what he needed.

"If you are feeling unwell, you know you shouldn't…" The driver began.

"I just want to visit my brother, 's all." Joe muttered, his hand stroking Elvis's head maybe a little too harsh. The dog barked.

"Well, in that case. I shall take you there, are you sure you are well enough to get home on your own after that. I am instructed to make sure you get some rest."

Joe admitted it was kind of late, but he knew his family would be with Kevin at visiting hours, even if it was late.

"I will, I promise, I just want to see my family. The shock…" He trailed off, hoping his little lie would work on the already greying man.

"Fair enough, then."

Within minutes, they arrived at the hospital and Joe thanked the driver with a big smile, though it appeared slightly fake, even to the driver, who eyed him suspiciously, before he shrugged in his expensive suit and drove back to the laboratories.

Joe knew that what he was going to do was probably a bad thing and that he should think about it first, but something drove him to that room, room 483, where he found his family.  
All of them, surprisingly. And even more to his astonishment, he found no other then the blond haired idiot named _Ben_ sitting next to Stella.  
Everyone was looking at him.

"Hello, Joe." His father said, stiffly as he stood up from besides Kevin's bed. Joe noted Anya was sitting next to Kevin on said bed, also staring at him, but turning beck to Kevin, with a questioning gaze.

"Honey, where have you been?" His mother asked. She was standing by the windowsill and the look on her face was beyond worried. "We were all worried sick."  
He was right then.

He hadn't anticipated this. Why he hadn't was a mystery to Joe, as he stood in the awkwardly in the doorstep, staring at his friends and family, whom had somehow gotten a place in the back of his mind the last couple of days, though they'd been there for him longer and better then the people at the laboratories.  
Nick just seemed more important at the moment.

Joe was ashamed as he took in the worrylines on everyone's faces. Stella looked deathly disappointed as she gazed at the shirt she didn't know and the hair that looked so unwashed it couldn't be courtesy of Joe.  
Mostly though, she saw the depth in his eyes that hadn't been there before Kevin's attack.

"What's going on with you Joe?" His mother asked again, now walking towards him. "Where have you been, you keep disappearing on us…?"

Joe flinched and Sandy stopped in her tracks. Her son flinched away from her, what had happened to him!

"Joe…?"

Joe was torn, he couldn't tell, but his plan. "I – I…" He watched as everyone stared at him, or glared, in Frankie's case. Elvis had gone straight towards him, abandoning Joe, now that he wasn't interesting anymore, apparently.  
Stella's face was blank, a little shocked. Ben's was somehow understanding. Tanya was staring at Kevin, who was staring at Joe with worried confusion.  
His father still looked a little mad, but concerned now too.  
His mother was the worst; there was actual fear in her eyes. She reached for him and this time Joe let her embrace him.  
"I've just been, out. I'm… dealing with what happened. It's been hard on me."  
He hated himself for becoming better at lying, but he had to.

"Oh Joe!" Stella sighed, before she left Ben where he dumbfoundedly sat on the couch to almost run into Joe's now empty arms, his mother sniffling a little. "Why didn't you tell us?" He absolutely hated lying to her. The look in her eyes was making him feel guiltier then he'd ever felt.

"I just… couldn't." At least that was the truth.

He ended up hugging everyone in the room and having his mother fuzz over how exhausted he looked. "You should have a good night's rest, that's for sure." Made him remember that he'd leave them again tomorrow to be questioned.  
What web of lies had he gotten himself into? It only made his decision stronger.

"Yeah, probably. Why don't we leave Kevin to get his and take Joe home? With Ben's car there's enough room for all of us!" Stella, even though unknowing, was once again his saviour.

"Actually, if you don't mind. I would like to talk to Kevin for a bit." Said Joe, rising and walking towards Kevin, who had already said his goodbyes to Anya, who was even more tired then they all were and had retreated to her own room next door.  
Joe was still worried about what would happen to her DNA.

"Uh... sure?" His father spoke.

"In private?" Joe knew it was an odd question and that he didn't deserve their trust, but he hoped they would anyway.  
Of course they did, but Ben gave him a strange look as they left.  
He shouldn't be judging, Joe didn't even want him here.

"Kevin." He turned to his older brother, who was looking at him with concern and a certain expectation. "I have to tell you something."  
His brother nodded, more serious then Joe'd seen him for a long time, even since he'd woken up in the hospital. He knew he had to do it now, tomorrow, Kevin would be home again and then there wasn't any hint of privacy, not until anything was back to normal.  
And to be honest, Joe was sure things wouldn't be anything close to normal for a long time.

"It's about where I've been and what happened to you. What really happened to you…"  
If there was someone he could tell it. It would be Kevin.

**I am fully aware that this story is progressing very slowly. But that's going to change soon. It's just that I'm spinning a more complicated web then I've done in quite a while.  
Critique?**


	10. of apologies and lighting

In which Joe talks to someone we'd almost forgotten about, Sandy is forgiving and we wonder where Macy could be.

Kevin stared at his younger brother with a seriousness that was unfamiliar to Joe in so many ways. It was like the attack and the DNA-drain had somehow affected him beyond what Joe had thought.

Not that he had thought about Kevin much, the last week. In fact, he had been more concerned about a robot then his own brother of flesh and blood.

Somehow, he felt guilty after thinking this.

He opened his mouth. "I…" And then closed it just as quick. He forced himself to stop and think, to get the events out of his mind and _think straight_.  
He was going to tell Kevin a story that was in all aspects practically impossible.  
He was going to tell Kevin what he was forbidden to tell, what would be the consequences for Joe?

"You can tell me anything, you know that right? If I got hurt because of you," Kevin suddenly said, an unsuiting awkward expression on his face "then I don't blame you."  
Joe just stared at him for a second.

"It's not that," He said, though he felt responsible for hurting Vanessa.  
Come to think of it, how had she been doing? He hadn't visited her either. Neither had he talked to Anya. He'd seriously lacked his responsibilities. He hadn't been himself.  
Was doing this, telling this story, what he should do?  
"I just found out what happened," Joe sighed eventually. "But I can't tell you." It wasn't his secret to tell.  
It was… Coler's. _Nick's. _

Kevin suddenly half-jumped out of bed. "Joe, don't. Tell me what happened, it's eating you, man, I can see it happening. You haven't been the Joe I know, lately."  
Kevin's brown eyes were staring into Joe's own with a ridiculous amount of pleading, but Joe suddenly found himself wishing for another pair of dark eyes. The dark eyes that he wanted to know, the dark eyes that had been the last thing he saw before he fainted.  
The Humanoid's eyes.

"I'm sorry." He told the harmed man before him, who had estranged from him in just a week.  
Or maybe Joe had estranged from him.

He stumbled back, out of the door of room 483, turned around and fled. Right past his family and best friend.  
"Joe!"  
He ignored Stella's voice as she called for him and didn't listen to his mother's faint: "Honey!"  
He just ran away, away from them, away from Kevin, who carried scars Joe felt guilty for, who held worries caused by Joe.

His shoes made slapping sounds on the hospital floor and several doctors, patients and visitors send him either annoyed or worried glances. One of them tried to stop him, but Joe was faster.  
He was faster even though he was still tired, had just woken up after his second black-out that week and he didn't think he'd eaten anything in at least a day.

He felt miserable, but that was nothing compared to a shock of realisation he was having.  
Somewhere along the line, he'd gotten attached to the Humanoid.

Suddenly, as if pulled towards it, he stopped in front of a door. His tired eyes flickered over its white surface, before resting on a little plate that read; _'Page, Vanessa. Page, Michelle'_

He hesitated only a second before he reached for the doorknob. Slowly, he opened the door and peeked inside.  
It was late. Very late in the evening, practically night, but there was light burning inside of the room.

"Hello?" A soft voice told him. "Who is it?"

Slowly, he entered the room, pressing the door shut behind him. His eyes struggled as he focussed them in the slightly dimmed room.  
The only source of light was a bed light next to one of the two beds. The bed itself was occupied by someone he recognised.  
Vanessa Page, the girl he'd saved. She was pretty without Penny's marks.

"Hey, I'm Joe," Joe said, smiling at her with a smile that he didn't recognise as one he would normally give a pretty girl like her. "I sort of…"

"Saved me," She finished. "I was wondering whether I would see you again or not." Her smile was happy, genuine, and exactly something Joe was looking for at the moment.  
"Sorry," Joe offered lamely. "I've been… busy."

"Saving more innocent girls from mysterious attacks?" She said, smiling brightly.

"More the other way around actually," Joe responded softly, putting his hand on the bed, not quite able to touch her. "I'm really glad you're okay and awake, though."

Her face fell and she looked away from him, immediately worrying Joe to no end, as he thought back to how she'd looked in the parking-lot. Vulnerable, in pain, while he had done nothing to help her.  
"I'm awake, all right," She whispered. "But I'm far from okay."  
Slowly, she rolled up the sleeve of her hospital gown, revealing a black mark, surrounded with an angry swollen red on her arm.  
Joe winced as he recognised the same mark Kevin must still carry around.  
He'd forgotten about that too. He'd forgotten how much the company he was currently protecting, trusting, even, had harmed the ones he loved.  
Wordlessly, Vanessa then hiked up the gown, to reveal her legs, which were covered in half healed bruises and the same scrapes Kevin had. He clenched his hands.  
_Where they rasped off the skin like cheese._

"But you're alive, you're theoretically fine." Joe said. "But I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier. I'm sorry about a lot of things."  
She stared at him for a second before she reached for his hand on the bad and grasped it.  
"You're not okay, either, are you?" She questioned softly.  
Joe shook his head. "No."

She glanced at the still form in the bed beside them, where Joe suspected her sister, Michelle, to be sleeping. "Nightmares?"  
Joe smiled faintly, before returning her soft squeeze in his hand. "No." _Or at least not majorly. _  
"Then what is hurting you?"

Joe sighed and looked up into a pair of concerned blue eyes.  
He didn't know this girl. He had no idea if she was a locked crest or a gossip-girl. What if she told somebody?  
He decided to go with half the truth.

"I am," He said. "I haven't been myself, lately, torn up over a lot of things and I think I'm hurting those around me."

She listened, as if they'd silently agreed over it.  
"I have had the most ridiculous things happen to me and along the way, I found something that's taking all my attention away from the things I normally have them on and I can't tell anybody why."

"Is this thing important to you?" She questioned professionally.

"It's starting to be." He answered truthfully, thinking of the Humanoid.

She thought about this for a minute and Joe absent mindedly traced a few moles on her throat, before he saw she was speaking again.  
"Maybe you shouldn't be so afraid of changing," She said. "You've found something that's important to you, but you're afraid that you're hurting others by doing what you want. Falling out of the pattern that they're used to, am I right?"

Joe was taken back by this, it was an answer he hadn't been expecting and he almost withdrew his hand from Vanessa's smaller one, suddenly uncomfortable.  
It was indeed true that it was _his _choice to be spending time at the lab.  
But his family was going trough a rough time, while he was hanging out with the result of Kevin's pain.  
He let Stella go round with that Ben-figure, without even knowing the dude was right for her. He'd been away from home for countless of hours in which his mother must've been worried sick.  
And just now, when on the very of being honest and truthful, the way he'd been raised. He chickened out and fled from them all, again.  
All because of this _boy, _that he'd found. This boy, created by scientists, was practically perfect in any way and yet, Joe found himself worrying, protective.  
But he couldn't blame the Humanoid, it—he had done nothing to provoke the feelings in Joe.  
That was his entire fault.

"And it's not just that. But that something is potentially dangerous, not just to me, but to them, if I ever tell them what it is. It's not just something I'm interested in; it's something I got caught up in. Something I can't get out of."  
He was talking about Coler, Penny and the whole of the New Industrial Laboratories and the stupid N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project.

Vanessa's features tensed at the word 'dangerous' but her voice was steady; "Looks like you're in some deep shit."

Joe stared at her for a minute and almost burst out hollering. He hadn't been expecting that one.  
She saw the laughter in his eyes and giggled as he chuckled.

"Yeah," Joe finally agreed. "I certainly am."

There was a brief silence in the small hospital room, before Vanessa started talking again.  
"I don't know what it is that's happening with you, Joe," She said. "And I'm suspecting danger is attracted to you. But only you yourself know what is the best thing to do. Look in your heart Joe, the answer's right there."

Could she be right? Could it be that Joe was able to get himself out of this?  
Maybe. Just maybe, there was a chance that he did.  
He knew what he wanted to do and he also knew what he _should_ be doing.  
There was a choice.  
And as he stared at Vanessa's face, the supportive smile, he saw a pair of dark brown eyes, similar to his own.  
The choice was quickly made.

It didn't make the guilt any less. It didn't make what he was doing any less _wrong. _  
But it was a choice Joe was free to make.

Or so he thought.

* * *

_"Hello? Yeah, it's me. Listen. Something strange just happened…" _

_"No, no, the source is fine; I'm talking about your current object of observation…" _

_"Hey, hey, no need to yell, I'm just trying to help here, okay?" _

_"Thank you. Okay, listen. The boy just came in, looking rushed and really damn crazy. __He wanted private time with his brother…" _

_"… Yes of course the older one! Where was I?" _

_"Right: he hadn't been in there for two minutes before he stormed out again, looking even crazier and to tell you the truth, really fucking guilty." _

_"I don't think he told him, but he's on the verge. We have to keep an eye on him. The family is upset and the best friend is in hysterics because he isn't telling her anything, currently crying with the mother. The dad's just angry." _

_"I don't know where he is. Of course not, I have to keep an eye on them. Try the third." _

_"No prob, Penny." _

* * *

"Joe." His mother said, the worry in her voice almost thicker then Joe's guilt. Her brown eyes, the ones he really couldn't use right now, were focussed on her middlest son as she was standing hunched over one of Kevin's suitcases.

"Hey mom," Joe said, shuffling with his feet as he cautiously came closer.  
She looked like she was asking herself the same thing he was.  
_When did he become such a stranger to me?_

"Listen, Joe," – "Mom, I…"

They stopped and laughed, because it was such a familiar thing, talking at the same time, the way they always did.  
"Where's dad?" Joe eventually said, walking closer and grabbing what he recognised as Kevin's otter-socks.

"Looking for you." She said softly, automatically leaving him with the first suitcase to grab the other. They'd always been efficient like this and somehow, it felt good to be doing something, even though there were things tensing the air between them.

Joe sighed, "Listen, mom, I'm sorry. I truly am," His hands folded Kevin's shirts with the flick of his wrist he'd long since memorised. "I feel like the lowest scum, that I've abandoned Kevin, that I've abandoned _you all_ like I did."  
Her eyes rose again to meet his and Joe noticed how worn her face looked, tired from all the restless nights she must've had. And all the while, Joe wasn't there to help her like he always did.  
Impulsively, he walked towards her and hugged her. He realised how long it'd been since he'd done that, even before Kevin's disappearance.  
"I'm really sorry," He whispered. "I haven't been a really good son."

"It's okay. You're forgiven," She said. "And that's not true, you're a wonderful son."  
Surprised, Joe released her, so he was halfway in her arms staring at his mother.  
"Really?"  
She chuckled. "Yes, really." Then she sighed and gestured for him to sit down on Kevin's previously occupied bed. Joe wondered where his older brother was, before he focussed on his mother.

"You're old and wise enough to make decisions for yourself, Joe. You're not a bad son, just because you weren't playing the perfect one. I've thought about his a lot and I realised how much _I _usually depend on you to help me. You're the only one of my children to ever do his chores, so through the years; I've given _all _of them to you. You're the one that takes over _my_ chores when the children that don't do them get in trouble. You're smart, friendly and you're a great son to have, don't ever doubt that."

Joe gaped at her. Her words were a complete surprise to him, even though they were all true.  
He _did_ do that. But it was the logical, the Joe-thing to do.  
"Don't feel guilty for being strange. In a family like ours, it only makes you normal."

And it was true. It was very much a Lucas-y thing.  
Kevin did what he wanted all the time without telling what he was up to, he'd always been safe up until now.  
And really, nobody really knew where Frankie was all the time.

"Thanks, mom." Joe whispered.

"No thanks sweetheart." She smiled.

Then he sighed, knowing what he had to do. Not really looking forward to it after her trusting speech. "In advance too."

His mother sent him a puzzled look, demanding him to explain.  
"I'm not quite done with being normal yet." He said. "And I'm sorry for that."

His mother hugged him again, apparently liking that very much, again. "Don't be. It's fine. At least I know you'll be doing that," She said. "But can I know what my son is up to, at least?"

Joe had been expecting that one, though in a slightly angrier package.  
"I'm s..." She glared. "No, it's hard to explain, but I can't tell you."

"Joseph Adam Lucas, you're not into funny business, are you? Is that what this guilt-thing is about?" She then demanded, the anger Joe was expecting finally in her eyes.

"Of course not, mom!" He said, slightly offended she would think such a thing of him.  
Really, _she _had been the one telling him he was quite smart. "I'm just…"

"Just promise me you'll take care of yourself?"

He looked at her and tried to look as sincere as he possibly could.

"Of course."

* * *

Of course not.

"I'm very glad you called yesterday, Joe." Coler told him as they walked through white corridors again unfamiliar to Joe. "It was the perfect way to inform each other about our change of plans."

They were once again at the New Industrial Laboratories and Joe was surprised to know there'd been another entrance to the building, one on the other side of the block.  
The place was really, really huge.

In reality, he hadn't called Coler, but Macy, whose mobile phone number he'd received at one point or another.  
Coler, suspiciously, had been the one to answer.  
He claimed Macy's phone now redirected back to him directly, after the accident and Macy's recovery. Apparently, she'd been hurt worse then he was.  
Joe had, of course, demanded to see her, but the request had been declined, irritating Joe beyond something he'd felt previous in the building.  
Sure, he'd been really pissed, especially at the subject of the matter, Macy Misa herself. But Joe was really worried.  
And he wondered, why had the Humanoid decided to save _him_ and not the woman that created him?

"Say now, Joe," Coler said. "How are you doing? We know your physique is considered above what we expected, thanks to our little artificial friend, but how are you, really?"

Joe was once again taken back by the man's ability to read Joe's thoughts.  
All he had been able to think about at the doctor's examination that morning, severely early, was the fact that he was mentally, more then physically, shaken by what had happened.

"I'm… Okay, I guess, a little off my game, but I'm taking care of it. Nothing to worry about." He replied, trying to keep up with Coler's long legs as they sped through the expensively lit hallway.

It was true. Joe had spent the entire previous day catching up with his family. He'd had hours of conversations with Kevin, Stella and even with his dad. His voice felt slightly strained, but it had been worth it.  
The guilt was almost gone –burned just slightly in his stomach— and both his family and his friends' suspicions had been smoothed as flat as they could go.  
They still knew something was up. Or even that something was _wrong. _But they seemed able to leave him with his problems, if that was what he wanted.  
Stella had only asked three times. That was a record.

All but his mother's worries had been quenched, but Joe was fairly okay with that, his mother was better off knowing something _was _up then when she was left in the dark.

"That's good. That's good." Coler replied. "We can't have you unfocussed as our newest assistant, now can we?"  
Coler and Joe had had a conversation about Joe's place in the building. He wasn't exactly expected within the project and now that Macy was unable to do her work, everything was messed up.  
And there was only that much Big Rob knew about the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project.  
Only Macy and her Grandfather had known the specifics. The rest of them only had files and Macy hadn't really been one for files.

Joe was grateful Coler was okay with letting him stay. Especially under these circumstances.

"Now, before we go in," Coler had stopped in front of two black doors at the far end of the corridor. "I don't want you to hold anything back when we're in there."  
This surprised Joe, he'd been under the impression he would have to be silent and observe, since Coler liked his authority and was different from laid-back Macy.

Joe still wondered how she was doing.

"The only reason, or rather, one of the _main_ reasons I decided to keep you within the project was because of the amazing contact both Macy, Robert and Penny, before her misstep, reported about you and the Humanoid. The fact alone that he jumped to your rescue promises something none of my scientists are sure of. But we're making theories. While in there, we'll be testing the Humanoid."

_More testing?_

"Since we lost a lot of data with Macy…"

_What the heck _had_ happened to her!_

"But you're allowed, or rather, I want you to interact with the Humanoid as you feel is right. Later on, I will be asking you do try and do things with it."

Joe could live with that and he felt excitement bubble in his chest.  
Free interaction with the Humanoid. That was more then he'd been expecting.

"But, young Joseph. You have to promise me to do exactly what I say when I do order you to do something, I have to know I have your loyalty."

Coler turned to Joe with a serious glance in the eyes behind his glasses.  
He was walking with a cane and he slightly nudged Joe in the shin. "Do you agree?"

"I agree." Joe replied breathlessly, somehow feeling like he just signed a binding contract.

"Good." Coler smiled. Let's go in then.

He opened the door and Joe immediately forgot all about the threatening question.  
The room they were in was similar to the testing room he'd been in with Macy, the one where Penny had attacked them.  
He shuddered.  
Only this one was far, far bigger and twice as advanced looking. It was one, large, open and incredibly intimidating room.  
Scientists in white lab coats, around ten of them. Were either walking around with clipboards or touching screens on large, white computers.  
All sorts of machines that reminded Joe of Macy's lab were placed around the slightly circular room, though with more system Macy's lab could ever hope to have, positioned in a circle around the middle of the room.  
The air smelled sterilised and he felt like the weight of the outside world was lifted of his shoulders as he stepped into an entirely different world. The world of advanced science.  
Joe saw screens with calculations, floating touch screens and heavy objects that seemed to fly through the air, but he wasn't sure as he focussed on the body doing fast push-ups in the centre-space.

Joe smiled as he saw the Humanoid. And the Humanoid saw him.  
Nick immediately stopped with his push ups and walked towards Joe with a swift, confident step.  
He was still slightly beneath Joe's height, but he seemed taller then Joe remembered, though he knew it would be impossible for Nick to grow.  
He seemed confident.  
Or maybe; able to defend himself.

This conclusion could be a result of his stance; legs slightly spread, his back straight, his shoulders low but steady, or maybe because Joe had seen him fight.

Well, he hadn't exactly seen him like that, he'd been slightly occupied, but he knew the Humanoid was perfectly capable of defending himself physically.  
That was relieving to him. But it didn't stop the possessive rush that he felt every time he looked at Nick.

"Hey." He whispered, smiling at the humanoid, whose freckled cheeks spread his mouth into a smile, his eyes focussing on Joe's face.

"Hello." He replied. "It is a great pleasure to have you here again." He said.  
Then he turned around again, walking back to the middle of the room, leaving Joe with his mouth open and his mind disappointed.  
He'd thought…

Then, Nick turned around and smiled again, his black hair bouncing with the movement.

"Are you going to come with me?" He questioned and Joe could swear he saw a plea behind the dark brown eyes.  
He followed immediately, feeling the eyes of the scientists on him. Feeling the approving smirk of Coler.

But he was focussed on Nick, in his flawless white shirt and black jeans with a red pocket on the side.  
It was all going to be fine, Joe thought, as he easily fell into step with Nick and smiled at the younger boy.  
He watched as he resumed his training, he even started talking to Nick, about his life and his dog and his friend before he found Nick.  
Nick listened with a smile on his face, when Joe asked why, he told him it was because he didn't have stories to tell, so listening to Joe was a wonderful thing.  
All in flawless English. It was unnerving, but exhilarating.

He forgot about his guilt when he stared at Nick when people turned around him and plugged wires into his back, all the while telling him about himself; Nick turned out to be an exceptional interrogator, he wanted to know everything about Joe.  
Joe didn't tell everything, for there were at least a dozen other people listening, but he distracted Nick from what he saw as annoying and painful looking tests with silly facts and stories.

It would all be fine.

* * *

_She pulled and shook at the bars that were holding her prisoner in luxury. "Let me out, they need me, you have no idea of his capabilities! Let me help!"  
The bars were charged at her screaming, sending jolts of electricity run through her worn body and she cried out in pain, releasing them. She stumbled back onto her sterile white bed. Her dirty brown hair hanging limply in front of her face.  
"Please." She sobbed. _

* * *

**There you have it, extra long chapter to make up for my absence.  
I've just been so ridiculously happy and preppy that I wasn't able to write. I apologise greatly.**

Did I mention there's a banner? There is, on my profile.  
**Also; would anybody be interested in making a trailer? I love those, but suck at making them…**

**It feels like much to ask, but a review would be nice.**


	11. of brotherly fights and affections

In which Joe looses his temper, Kevin worries and Nick shows a new side.

"Really Stella, he's not that good-looking." He tried again, lazily poking at his left-over tomatoes.

School had never really been one of Joe's most favourite things to do.  
He was a fairly normal student, with fairly normal grades and a very healthy level of aversion towards sitting inside a desk all day long, with nothing to do but to listen to a teacher drawling on about some uninteresting subject or another.

The two weeks of vacation Kevin's 'illness' had granted him were over and Joe couldn't quite say he liked it.

Of course it meant that he was now able to see Stella on a more frequent level again, with or without her new 'boyfriend' (and now that Joe had done his investigations, he'd concluded he didn't like the blonde guy) It was great to have his best friend back. She was a wonderful person, beneath the annoying questions on where he went everyday after school, why he was never willing to play mannequin anymore and how his clothes got so dirty.

Her babbling made Joe feel brighter on the inside; happier, if possible. It was something he was so thoroughly used to that it was soothing. Stella's voice was like a medicine.

"Is too!" She countered him, after his criticism on 'Ben', pointing at him with her own fork with a dangerously raised eyebrow. "He's very handsome!"

Joe snickered. "And this has nothing to do with the fact that he's older, with a car, lots of money to buy you clothes… Not to mention that sugar-slimy voice praising your obvious prettiness." He drawled mockingly. "When is he picking you up today?"

Stella went red, but shed a laugh. "His voice is _not_ slimy. He's being sweet. You should try it. And he's going to be here any minute, for your information." She flicked a piece of cheese in his direction.  
He dodged easily and retorted; "I just don't like him. I don't know anything about this Ben. Do you know his parents, where he lives or what he does to get that amount of money? Or if he has a dog as awesome as we do? He might be a dealer, a pimp, a maniac axe-murderer! We have no idea what he does."

Stella snorted, flicking her hair out of her face. "Says you."

He glared at her, even though she was right, and took to staring out of the cafeteria-window instead, only vaguely acknowledging Kevin joining them, his brother immediately starting on an all out animated story about his last encounter with the school nurse.  
He knew the story and decided to instead stare at Stella for a bit.  
Aside from the curiosity, which he forgave her for in a heartbeat, Stella was trying her hardest to get everything back to normal.

Or rather, as normal as things ever were in their lives.

Her make-up skills had done a wonderful job on concealing the mark on Kevin's forearm and the scars on his skin. She'd called up all of their acquaintances for a 'welcome home' party. She'd bought a new, stronger, leash for Elvis and because she hung out at the firehouse practically half her awake time, she was a great help with getting things back on track.

The only things that hadn't made their return were the hour-long phone-calls at night between her and Joe himself, because Joe was too tired to do so.  
He suspected she spend them talking to Ben and he severely hated that fact, but it wasn't enough.

"Joe?" said Kevin, effectively turning Joe's attention on him.

Not all things were back to their old ways; Kevin was one of them.  
He was… different. Not anything less Kevin, but more, organised?  
He still loved ducks and glittery things, he was still fond of animals and his car was still his one and only and probably the one he was going to marry.  
But he was less out of it- attentive, even. He wasn't flying anymore; it was like his attack and his stay at the hospital had made him crash and stay grounded.  
It was pleasant in a way, but strange, to see Kevin exploring the world with more maturity then before.

Joe still couldn't believe he could say the words 'Kevin' and 'Mature' in the same sentence, without the words 'isn't' in between.  
It was nice to see him live, see him become a Kevin that was healthier for everybody, including himself, but it was unnerving.  
The way he spoke, without the usual words Joe couldn't and wouldn't understand, reminded him of Nick.  
And Nick's English was outstanding.

"Yeah?" He said, turning towards his older brother.  
The fond smile quickly disappeared from his face when he saw Kevin's stare.  
"Are you going to be off to do whatever it is you keep from us again this afternoon?"

Joe's face fell. He didn't need Kevin's accusing to feel guilty every time he went to Nick. It wasn't like he chose him over his family.  
Was it?

"Yes." He answered; his voice deeper and angrier then he'd expected it to be.  
Kevin just shot him a stern look and through the surprise of seeing _Kevin_ giving someone a stern look, Joe suspected him to hold back because of Stella.

"Why can't you just tell us already?" Kevin asked, his eyes trying to pierce Joe's.

Joe knew he probably should go easy on Kevin (he was just released form the hospital, for god's sake) and that Kevin was in his full right to want to know where his little brother hung out, but he couldn't help but snap.

"No, like I already said, it's not my secret to tell." He spat through his teeth.  
The image of Nick flashed before his eyes.  
Barely weeks old Nick who knew nothing of the world but the testing labs. Who knew nothing but the scientists around him. Nick who, really, only had Joe, now that Macy had seemingly retired.

"I just don't get why, Joe!" Kevin said, his eyes sending a shockwave straight to Joe's gut.  
It was pure, deserved and undisguised guilt. "Don't you know how much we are worrying about you, how much we…!"

He didn't get to finish his half-shouted sentence and neither did Joe get to snide a remark, as a certain blonde haired boy interrupted them, making Stella blush immediately.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ben asked. His eyes were a piercing blue (something that never ceased to annoy Joe) and he looked slightly nervous.

"Yes," Stella said.  
"No." Joe said.

"Joe, you know I love you, you can talk to us about this. We wouldn't do anything to hurt you, or someone you care about or something you don't want…"

"You can go meet Ben, Stella, there's nothing to talk about. I'm okay." He shot her a grin; she'd done nothing wrong, after all.  
She returned his gesture with a weak smile and put her hands on the white surface of the cafeteria-table, pushing herself up.

"Okay then, if you're sure..?" She stared at him expectantly.  
"I'm sure." Joe promised.

Then she walked away, Ben's arm wrapped around her shoulders and her torso turned awkwardly to send him one last look, before she disappeared behind the atrium.

"You're not okay, Joe." Kevin whispered, his hand reaching for Joe's shoulder, but he shrugged him away.  
"How hard is it for you to understand that I am," He whispered back, near desperation in his voice. "I know what I'm doing."

Kevin looked unbelieving. "Do you, Joe? 'Cause last time I checked, you were running away from us, screaming about how things were wrong."

"You know it wasn't like that." Joe hissed, annoyed, but with a heavy feeling in his stomach.

"But you were pretty damn messed up, Joe. You didn't see your eyes when you demanded to see me, you didn't see your face, the way you were _trembling_. You were _scared_ of something, Joe. Something happened and I want to know what. What is it that lures you away from your family, your friends, your duties?" Kevin tried, inching closer to his little brother, as if approaching a cornered animal.

"My duties? My _duties?_ Last time _I_ checked I was the only one doing those _duties_. The only one that ever helped mom, the only one that ever did anything for our family. Before all this happened, you were always doing your stupid stuff, Frankie was never to be found and dad works his ass off to support us and all your escapades. Don't you dare accuse _me_ of not doing my duties!" Joe nearly yelled with his teeth clenched together as he was now nose to nose with Kevin.

Then he stood up, the pain of guilty hitting him like an anvil between the eyes.  
"I know you care, Kevin. But I've always let you do whatever you wanted. I never questioned you if you were doing something ridiculous. Me and mom always protected you, so you could expand; keep seeing the world in your own unique way. Because we love you. The only thing I am asking is— Protect me, Kev."

They stared at each other like that, for minutes, like they were getting to know each other for the first time again. Examining what it was they were working with, exploring the battlefield.

Finally, Kevin sighed and his expression alone made a burden rise from Joe's shoulders; it was soft, gentle and caring. Like his father's face when he would watch Frankie win a football match, or Kevin showing him his self-made poems. It was familiar, safe.  
"I trust you Joe. I trust you to be safe, even if you won't tell me what is going on."

"Thank you."

Then, Joe grabbed his bag, lifting it over his shoulder like it weighted so much more then just those few pounds of books and looked at Kevin with what he hoped was an equally gentle expression.

"I'm sorry."

Then he started to walk towards the atrium, towards the exit, towards where Kevin couldn't follow him, towards Nick.  
He didn't once look back.

* * *

_"Tell us how to reprogram him!" The angry voice yells in her face. His tone as cold as the bars she's clutching. _

_"Never!" She screams, desperate and broken, as another shockwave tears through her lithe body. _

_"Tell us how to reprogram him!" The girl yells again. Her voice is harsh, almost livid in her anger towards Macy. She has all the reason, this woman has always been impossible, but her knowledge is of crucial importance. _

_"I won't let you destroy my hard work, my vision for a better world, all my grandfather's hard work!" She cries, tears leaking out of her light brown eyes. They're like doe eyes, pathetic and weak, she couldn't hate any pair of eyes more then she does these brown ones.  
Except for maybe the ones that are stuck in the faces of that _boy_ and the Humanoid. _

_She almost leaps towards the cell, making her prisoner shrink back into the prison.  
Her long, pale fingers wrapped around the bars, clutching them until they were an angry red.  
"You know what happens to your grandfather's precious work if you don't talk, don't you?" She hissed, knowing her thread hurt the woman like no other. She adored the demented, old retard.  
"The same thing that happened to him, when he wasn't of any use to us anymore." _

_Her eyes widen and tears start to stream over her face, creating red spots and making her even uglier then she already is.  
Her hair tangled, her body filthier then ever.  
Penny finds her disgusting. _

_"You're lucky we need your Humanoid to give the boy responses that make actual sense." She snaps, before she turns around and stalks off like the predator she feels like. _

_She is unknowing that she has given Macy precious information.  
A smile graces her lips.  
__"Keep him safe, Joe." _

* * *

"School really isn't all that great." Joe awkwardly told the Humanoid, rubbing the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

The large brown eyes focussed on his face, one by one, and Joe couldn't help but look away. "Really, it's boring, half- most of the time."

"Such a large gathering of young humans, learning to explore their born abilities is a very unique phenomenon. Hardly something to defy with 'boring'. You might want to reconsider how you judge your educational system." Nick said as a matter of factly.

Joe was once again left gibbering at Nick's advanced usage of the English language.

"Wanna switch, then? You go listen to Mrs. Snark talk about the importance of 'drama' in a biology lesson, it's creepy, I swear!"  
They were seated at what Joe referred to as Nick's 'home base'. It was a stationary computer that was attached to Nick almost all the time when the N.I.L.'s scientists weren't testing him. It seriously never stopped; it was ridiculous how many pointless things they made Nick do. Going from solving puzzles, to completing mathematical problems Joe couldn't even phantom understanding, to doing four-hundred push-ups straight.  
Joe suspected them to let Nick re-invent the theory of special relativity at some point in the future. It was like they were deliberately stretching out what Macy had previously described as a 'short sequence in the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project'.

"I'm not allowed to leave the New Industrial Laboratories." Nick answered softly and Joe could swear he heard something close to sadness in the boy's voice.  
Joe felt bad for him; locked up in the boring, white, sterile environment all the time, prodded and poked by people he didn't know, with only silly, old Joe for company.  
Everybody seemed to view him as an object. Joe did too, in the beginning, but there was something so _alive_ within Nick's eyes.

"I know." Joe said, reaching out to touch Nick's shoulder.  
The poor boy was hunched in a position that would have been incredibly uncomfortable for any human, crouched and leaning on this calves with one of his hands crossed before his chest and the other behind his back.  
But his face was as serene as ever. Calmly observing Joe, who was sitting in an oval white chair that hung from the ceiling in the small, blue-lit room.  
"I wish I could take you out to see the real world, I always thought Macy's plan was to set you out and let you help people."

"I'm designed to help and comfort, the main design of my system is to be everything any human would want me to be."  
Joe looked at him with a puzzled look. "Be something? Aren't you just- I don't know... you?"

"In theory, yes." Coler's familiar voice interrupted them. "He has a programmed personality, but he is designed to adapt to human wishes."

"Is he doing that right now?" Joe asked immediately, worried. "Is he adapting to me."  
Coler laughed without humour. "Well, of course he is, Joe. He's just a machine, he doesn't feel anything."

Nick had gone strangely quiet at Coler's entrance, his head now bowed towards his chest as he seemingly listened to the insulting words that left the CEO's lips like venom as they spread through Joe's veins.  
"Nick?" He tried, making Nick look up to him, his eyes focussing again.

"With one push of a button, we could completely erase the personality you have called 'Nick'." Coler said, walking towards Nick with confident strides as he gently slid his fingers behind Nick's ears.

Joe thought he saw the Humanoid stiffen at the contact, but then he was enthralled as the director of the N.I.L. opened a segment at the back of Nick's head, revealing a small dip, surrounded with wires, where soft blue light illuminated the shining silver.  
It was a weird sight, though he'd seen Nick's insides before.  
Nick didn't have blood or human flesh. Just muscles, skin and an appearance, grown from Kevin's DNA. The rest of him was made of wires, screws and computer-programs.

"You see that, Joe?" Coler pointed. "It's what we like to call the action-switch..."  
Joe stared, wide eyed at the small white surface embedded inside Nick's neck.  
It was a line, crossed by three smaller ones; the exact shape of the key Joe had once stuck into Nick's neck to activate him.  
"I take you are familiar with that?" Corer questioned, without really asking, like he knew what flashed through Joe's mind at that moment.

"Now, behind this," He hooked his long fingers behind the button, pulling slightly. "Is the reset-button."  
He revealed a small, black button, barely larger then the tip of Joe's index-finger.  
"A reset-button?" Joe questioned weakly, feeling sick in his stomach. "He has a reset button?"

"Of course, if there are any problems, we need to reset him to re-program him." Coler answered, ever as patient with Joe.

"No!" Joe shouted, almost frantic with panic that coursed through his entire body. "No, you can't! You wouldn't, you can't just do that, after everything he's been through, after everything we've been through. You can't just destroy all Macy's hard work." He wheezed. "That's not fair; he's been good, hasn't he?"

Coler's hands landed on his shoulders, his grey-blue eyes staring at Joe through his glasses. "Calm down, Joe! Of course not, we wouldn't do that. He's too important and we've made so much progress. Of course we wouldn't delete him now."

It didn't calm Joe in the slightest.  
Just the possibility of Nick just disappearing like that, gone like a piece of garbage for someone to throw into the trashcan was unnerving. He couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't let them!

"I promise you we won't. If not for our investigation, then for you, okay?"  
Joe looked at him in a new kind of shock. That one he hadn't been expecting.

"Me?"

"You're important to our investigation too, Joe. The plan always was to let the humanoid interact with humans and your appearance was like god had planned it. We want you to stay, Joe, so we won't delete him. I'd scare you away."

Damn right it would.

"So you won't kill him?" Joe asked again, staring at the boy before them. He could imagine him; limb and with nothing behind the automatically focussing eyes. Nick, gone, dead.  
He shuddered all over his body at the mental image.

"We won't kill him." Coler gently confirmed, adjusting the today bright red scarf around his neck. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I trust you'll keep an eye on him?"

Coler turned on his heels, away from Joe, not sparing a second glance to Nick, who was still crouched on the floor.

Joe waited until the door had closed behind the older man and then half-ran towards Nick, kneeling besides him.  
He stared at Nick's face and Nick stared back.

In that moment, Joe felt like he and the Humanoid understood each other, no adaption, no machinery, no human deceivement involved.  
Slowly, careful not to touch the wires, he wrapped his hands around the boy, resting his head against the shirt that he knew to be exactly 92.3 degrees, colder then a human's, but warm enough for now.

"You know I'd never let them hurt you, right? I'd never let them destroy you…" Joe whispered into Nick's hair, a painful tugging in his heart, like little strings wanted to pull it straight out. "God, I wish Macy were here."

Then, hesitatingly, the boy's arms lifted and folded themselves back around Joe.  
It was the first actual sign of affection Nick had ever shown.

* * *

_"I can't reset the damn thing, because the boy will be on his toes and I _need_ him…" _

_"I can't reprogram him because Misa's damned granddaughter won't tell me how…" _

_"I can't do anything but watch them grow and hope they'll be better. Hoping I can use the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project as the main piece of the puzzle, like he is meant to, once I have the boy safely in my clutches." _

* * *

**That's it, babynoids. I wanted it to be perfect and I hope it worked.  
I'm happy to tell that I have the rest of the story pretty much planned out, but I'm still struggling with the lengths of the chapters and how to split the plot evenly into understandable bits. **

**Hope you still remember all the pieces of the puzzle! Every detail is important.  
See you next time!**


	12. of doubts and phone calls

In which Nick separates the barrel from the handle, Joe finally seals the deal and Coler is not pleased.  
While really, he's just psychologically challenged. Like Ben. 

Once again, Joe found himself trying to keep up with the speeding legs of one particular CEO. He was really starting to get tired of the constant running for every other step the man took.  
It wasn't that he was particularly _tall_ or anything. (He was around Nick's height, which was slightly _smaller_ then Joe himself, for heavens sake) He was just really… enthusiastic.

This time, however, there was a difference in the setup. This time, Joe was followed by a pair of sure legs, belonging to the Humanoid himself.  
Joe threw a glance back, not knowing if he was trying to comfort the Humanoid or himself.

They stilled before a door which, as all doors in this part of the building, slid open automatically.

Their group walked through in a close formation, Coler in front, now followed by Nick, with Joe closing, his hand hovering near Nick's back.

It was an equally a test as it was a journey to yet another round of testing.  
Joe was really starting to dislike the word alone, but he was curious what they would make him do, now that they, finally, were out of the monotone-coloured room of boredom.  
Not that he disliked the researchers –because really, they weren't very like-able— it was just incredibly boring to watch them observe Nick and finding out things Joe felt he could've told them if only they'd just asked.  
Like the fact that Nick's skin had the ability to change temperatures (constantly being close to the Humanoid wasn't that hard, you know?) or that he was able to lift things four times his weight.  
That Nick had röntgen-vision, the ability to complete multiple tasks at once and learned faster, knew more, then anyone Joe had ever met.

And no-one ha even thought of the possibility to simply _ask_ Nick what he was able to do. That he was perfectly capable of conversing, that he knew what he was able to do.  
It was like these people had absolutely no clue what they were doing, had no idea of what Nick could do, while they were the ones that _build_ him.

Joe was confused. Majorly confused.

And the strangest thing was that Nick seemed perfectly content with just talking to Joe.  
He shot a look at the boy, who was stoically staring at Coler's back in what could almost be called a glare.

Then, Joe paid attention to where they were and had to look twice to be sure his eyes were telling him what he thought they were telling him.  
They were once again in a room obviously meant for observing another. This time, the room-to-observe was a gym.  
A gym filled with angry, strong-looking people. And Coler just closed the door behind Nick.  
Joe, for a moment, could only gape at the CEO, who calmly walked towards the white, beeping desk and spoke into the intercom; "Start the test-fight."

Then, he heard himself screech; "What the hell is _THIS!" _

Coler turned around, calmly raising an eyebrow and pushing his glasses back up his nose.  
Behind him Joe saw the lights of the observatory reflect in the glass, behind which the men and women charged on Nick, who suddenly looked smaller then Joe had ever seen him.

"Stop it! Stop it immediately." He yelled, almost lunging for the door, before a hand wrapped around his middle and stopped him.

"Joe, calm yourself!" Coler nearly screamed as Joe's fingernails scratched over the glass door.  
"I WON'T calm down!" Joe yelled, clawing at Coler's hands. "You're going to hurt him! What is this?"

Coler forcefully turned him around, forcing Joe to look at him. "It's a needed test. Or do you thing helping today's world will be all butterflies and daisies?"

Joe swallowed, glancing at the gym-like room, where everyone, excluding Nick, who was still staring at the wall blankly, had stopped to stare at them.  
"Look at me, Lucas!" Coler snapped and Joe stared at his glasses, rather then his eyes. "Do you think he'll be welcomed in that environment," He gestured towards the general direction of the entrance with a vague movement "with applause and unconditional love?"

"No?"

"No."

Then, Coler turned around again, towards the microphone and snapped at it angrily. "Move!"

Joe watched with squinted eyes, still unsure, but afraid of moving again as Nick once again got surrounded.

Slowly, Joe edged towards the desk, a few safe feet away from Coler, to stare at Nick with a worried expression, sucking on the pad of his thumb.

Nick still looked as calm as ever. 

Joe winced when the first punch was thrown, closing his eyes, he didn't want to see.  
Was this really needed? Didn't they know Nick's strength already?  
He gritted his teeth. He wanted Macy back, badly.

Then he opened his eyes and widened them in the same go. All of the people that had previously threatened Nick now lay sprawled out over the floor.

Creepy.

Nick still looked stoic, but smiled at Joe, as if to say; 'calm down, I know what I'm doing. I just need you to stay with me.'

Who was Joe to say no to that?

-

_His hand presses against the cold class of the tube as he gazes at the form inside of it. The lenses of his glasses light up in the soft glow it spreads._

He feels powerful, yet so worthless.

Here they are, better then ever, now that the Lucas boy's blood is added to their complexion. They're stronger; more stable then the first one, the one that's actually working.  
The only one that's working, because he has no idea how to get them to work.

He has an army. An army of indestructible, hyper-intelligent slaves at his complete mercy.  
But they're worthless to him as long as the woman in his cells stays silent.  
She has protected her brain from his mental attacks and he can't use physical harm anymore.  
More pain would surely kill her.

If only the tests they were running were of any use.  
But they aren't. He's just prolonging, hoping his worthless scientists would figure out the Humanoid system.  
But they have no idea.  
So he's stuck with the Misa-version of a Humanoid.  
The kind one. The life-changing one. He almost vomits at the idea of so much power used for a goal like that.  
It's worthless, in his nicest opinion.  


_And boy, do his fingers itch to just press that reset-button.  
But he can't. Because the Humanoid is the only thing that's keeping the boy here and the boy is the only one that has the unique DNA-composition to balance the mechanic with the organic._

He curses the Lucas boy. But plain kidnapping him wouldn't work like it did with the Misa woman.  
She had no-one left.  
He has a whole family, friends, people who he's attached to.  
God damn it, he has a freaking dog.

He rubs the bridge of his nose, to ease the pressure of his glasses and then focuses his attention on the hundreds of tubes.

Soon. He promises himself. Soon.

-

"We just want to know what would happen with the Humanoid in the real world, Joseph."

Joe couldn't help but notice the weakness of that argument and crossed his arms stubbornly.  
Coler shot him another cold glance.

"Don't sulk. It doesn't suit your features," he calmly noted and before Joe could even try to protest he went on, "Would you like to see it beaten and broken at the first step it sets out of this building?"

Joe still didn't say anything. It was wrong to attack Nick like that, for they knew Nick was ten times stronger then any human. And it was equally pointless to say he would be 'broken' by anything but a bulldozer, since he was kind of indestructible.

They were walking, again, through endless white hallways, surrounded with unknowing people in white lab-coats who looked at Nick with the same distaste Joe always found himself getting.  
As if he didn't belong here.

Oh, if they even knew.

He glared at a particularly nasty looking blonde woman before following Coler into another room, grateful that this time at least, they didn't have a walk of at least half an hour through the enormous building. Seriously, they needed carts over here.

He had to swallow back the contents of his stomach as they entered what was unmistakably a shooting range.

"You have to be kidding me." He muttered, stunned.  
It was once thing to teach Nick how to defend himself (as if he couldn't already). It was another to teach him how to shoot.  
He knew humans did it all the time, but it just seemed wrong. Nick was still so innocent, even though he was a trained superhuman/robot. A gun in his hands was just plain wrong and unneeded.

He was starting to protest again when Coler pushed a heavy looking gun into Nick's hands, which clenched around the barrel with a metallic sound, but there was no need for it.

With a simple twist of his wrist, Nick snapped the gun in half, pushing them back towards Coler, who stared at the Humanoid with an expression that made Joe snicker.  
One glance from Coler made him pretend it had been a particular high cough.

"I'm designed to build, to heal and to help. I was made to support those in need and to preserve the lives of innocent humans. I will never touch a gun, unless it is to destroy it and prevent it from doing any harm to those who don't deserve its bullet. I will never use it to release a bullet from a barrel, unless it is to empty it. I will never take aim."

Then, Nick turned around and walked towards Joe with a confident stride.  
His eyes however, spoke otherwise. They looked sad, confused and exactly like those of a human at gunpoint.

Joe, out of instinct, wrapped his arms around the Humanoid and glared at Coler.  
The man was still standing in the same position he'd been in since Nick snapped the gun, his eyes wide behind his glasses and his hands limply holding the broken pieces.  
Then his head turned and Joe had never seen anyone so furious.

"You listen to me and you listen closely. If you don't pick up a gun and aim at least ten perfect shots at those goals. I _will_ reset you, for it would be a flaw in your obedience-program." Coler told Nick, who'd turned around in Joe's arms, almost shrinking back into the fully human body behind him as Coler towered above him. "You are my property, do as you are told." 

Then he turned to Joe, "Make him see sense. I take you are aware of the consequences."

Then he turned around, his coat billowing out behind him as he flew through the door like a bat out of his darkened cave.  
It made shudders run all the way over Joe's back into his nape.

Nick was staring up at him. "I apologise, Joe, for getting us in this situation," he apologised.

Joe grabbed at his shoulders, giving him a soft shake. "Don't you dare apologise for having your own opinion."

Nick's eyes looked as if they might tear up if they could (and they couldn't, Joe had asked) and he slowly edged away from Joe.

"That's the thing, Joe. I can't have an opinion of my own. I'm just a Humanoid, mean to serve and help. I have to do what I am told to do, that's who I am. Essentially just an object," his eyes looked sad as Joe stared into them, tearing up himself, "a thing."

He couldn't think that, he couldn't seriously be thinking that. Damn Coler.

"No! You're not a thing, you're not his slave. He can't use you like a lifeless machine. You're…" Joe hesitated as he gazed at Nick, his esperated expression softening, "you're my brother!"

Joe saw the machinery behind the eyes spin and rattle as he stared into them. "Bro-ther?" Nick questioned.

"Yes, brother," Joe nearly sobbed, his hand reaching for Nick's face, cupping it, "you have my eyes."  
His thumb stroked the skin on Nick's disbelieving face.

"My skin," he whispered, "my brother's blood running through your veins. Of course you are my brother."

"You can't…" Nick started to argue, but this time, Joe didn't let him overrule him with arguments he wouldn't understand.

"Yes, I can. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He had come to the conclusion that Nick was much more then just a machine. He had feelings, emotions and who knows what more.  
He knew Joe, because he had been interested as Joe talked. He knew friendship.  
He didn't like the scientists running tests on him and really, Joe'd never quite seen a computer staring someone down. He knew irritation.

"He'll delete me."  
He knew sadness. He knew fear.

Joe sighed and suddenly found his arms full of Humanoid again. 

"I don't want to die."

Stella rested her head on Ben's shoulder with a tired sigh.

"Aww, what's wrong, honey?" The honey-blonde questioned, running his fingers through her hair, glancing at the rain outside the car before down at her tense form again.

"It's just…" she started, before sighing again, "nothing."

He sighed too, softly nudging her up and lifting her chin with his index-finger, "You can tell me, you know?"

She stared at him for a second, in which just the ticking of the rain was heard, indicating that the summer was coming to an end.

Was everything in her life coming to an end this fall? It certainly seemed like it.

"It's Joe," she finally confessed, "I'm so worried."

He cocked his head to the side, probably trying to be nice about the guy she almost constantly talked about. He was a good man for even putting up with her and her crazy best friend. 

"He still won't tell you?" He questioned.

"No, not a single word," She sat back in her seat, absent mindedly staring at the steering wheel now.

"It's awfully inconsiderate of him," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder sympathically.

"He used to tell me everything!" She suddenly cried, "I don't get why he's being so secretive, nothing could be so bad he wouldn't tell me. Nothing! Or at least, nothing used to be."

"Could it be that, just maybe, you're growing apart? You told me how much everyone's changed since Kevin's accident. How his dad stopped working so hard at the population registration department or whatever. How his little brother is acting so much better now, like he's part of the family? And how Kevin is so much more focussed?"

Her eyes were sad, "I don't think that's reason enough to just leave me in the dark like this."  
She fingered the hem of her shirt nervously. Could it be that they were growing apart?  
"I'm thinking of just following him one time. To see what he's up to."

"That would be considered invading his privacy." Ben tried, but the blonde immediately turned on him.

"That's the damn point!" She cried, throwing her hands in the air, "There isn't such thing as privacy between us! There never was! No personal space whatsoever."  
She threw herself back in her seat. "And now we're out of sync."

He leaned forward to kiss her on her cheek. She smiled faintly.  
He held up an umbrella in front of her. "Here, go home," said Ben softly, "Take a hot bath and think about it."

she opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "I know, you did that. Just give it one more try, figure out what _you_ want and what you think is best for _you_. He apparently did that. It's your life. Not his. Don't let him decide it for you. You should consider that, just maybe, your twin-umbilical has snapped."

She gave him a sad nod and took the umbrella. "Thanks, Ben, you're awesome."

"I know," he grinned. "How 'bout that hot bath, huh?"

"Sounds great, bye."

She stepped out of the car, trying not to get her dark, skinny jeans soaked in the puddles of water and closed the door behind her with a slam worthy of a diva in heat.

Then he sighed, hating his job and pulled out his xPhone.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me. They're starting to get anxious." He said, his eyes trailing after the figure disappearing into the darkness of her garden.

"Yeah, especially the girl, as you predicted. I don't think I can keep her from snooping around much longer without looking suspicious." He examined his nails.

"Do you deliberately _want_ me to blow my cover?" He suddenly snapped, "You're lucky I got into their lives so fast and now I'm stuck here babysitting stupid, bratty, annoying and family. I don't like the mom either. Too much of a care bear if you get what I mean, sis."

He was silent for a while, as the person on the receiving end of the phone call ranted at him.

"Sure, whatever you want, your highness. Bye Penny."

Then he hung up, knowing her fury would be worse then the forced pretend at liking the snazzy blonde fashion-designer-to-be. Not that she had taste.

He lit a cigarette for himself, opening the window to the cool air.  
He missed her, he missed the real her so much.

-

**So many questions you must have.  
If you ask them, I might just slip some clues in the next chapter. I'm feeling generous.  
Nope, it's not proof-read. Sorry.**

Thoughts?


	13. of arguments and introductions

In which Joe brings home a friend, fights with people he really shouldn't fight with (again) and, according to Kevin, Nick is doing it wrong. 

He had no idea how they'd even reached this point. Not a clue as to how, when or where.

Somewhere along the line Joe and Nick had become a team, partners. They could be considered friends. Very good friends.  
And yet, he had no idea how to handle himself with the person he'd been getting to know for weeks now.  
No idea how he convinced Coler to do this. No idea how something— someone like Nick could fit in so easily, going completely unnoticed.  
He had no idea how they ended up on the streets, on their way home.  
Home.  
_  
That did it. "You're reaching absolutely nothing with those pointless tests!" Joe yelled, feeling a restriction in his chest he'd never felt before, seemingly familiar all the while, "Do you even know what you're doing to him. With him? What he's fucking designed for!"  
The image of Nick flashed before his eyes. He was _not _unobservant; he was going to be there for Nick._

Joe didn't know when he'd reverted to cursing, knowing his mother would bow her head in shame. Then again, his mother didn't know there was another boy that shared her DNA, he felt it was righty to yell over Nick. 

He looked over to the Humanoid, taking in the unfamiliar expression of joy on his face. He seemed happy, curious. He wasn't anxious in the slightest, not like Joe.  
_Joe_ felt like all ground had been kicked from beneath him, holding his breath every corner they took.  
Joe felt like he was spiralling down in the unknown, while he was entirely aware of where he was, at the same time.  
He'd gotten Nick out of the labs. They'd walked through the endless hallways together, past the reception and a very confused Abby _("Where the hell did the other kid come from?")_ and through the exit.  
Surprisingly, and maybe luckily, Joe'd been the one casting attention towards himself with his jittery behaviour; he was death-scared something would happen. That Coler would be proven right.  
But he hadn't.

Nick fitted here; he was designed for humans, to fit in with them. He was meant to please, comfort, help.  
He smiled, reaching out and touching Nick's shoulder, making the boy look at him with a questioning gaze. The sun sparkled off his teeth and his eyes re-focussed on Joe with the familiar separate buzzes. Nobody would notice he wasn't human if they didn't come too close. Nobody paid attention to Nick like Joe did.  
He merely smiled back at Nick, who resumed his bemused observation of the street.

_"Where is Dr. Misa, then? She knew what she was doing, she never hurt him!" Joe longed for the easy-going woman and her gentle hands on Nick.  
Those hands he trusted, not the hands holding the cane._

"She's recovering from the attack," Coler told him, unmoving in his chair behind the desk, watching Joe pace back and forth in front of him, slight irritation on his face, "there's indeed a lot that we don't know, without her, but—"

Joe turned towards him, "You don't know anything."

"That's why we have you…"

"Yeah, because I'm doing such an awful lot. No-one will even listen to me!" Joe fumed, crossing his arms. His fingers tightening in his jeans, palming at them as he turned on his heels, staring at the president of the N.I.L. with a half hysterical, half livid expression on his normally so peaceful face.

Coler merely sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "you're young, inexperienced."

"So are you."

"Don't test my patience, kid!"

He was leading Nick through the outskirts of town, having hoped it would attract less attention to the two of them, but it had shown to be unnecessary; there wasn't as much as a second look taken at the Humanoid.

He never ceased to amaze Joe, curiously gazing at the humans, normal humans, more then he'd ever experienced. Humans without lab-coats. Taking it so well.

"I am programmed to observe them," He'd given as an explanation, "They _are_ normal to my scans and database."

_ "Well, it's not like Nick has any experience, either!" Joe said, wringing his hands against each other, as if trying to lift some of the tension that hung between the two males and over the oversized desk. Coler's face was even more detached then it normally was, expression cold and emotionless._

"I'm not quite sure how this went from guns to experience," Coler coldly commented, frowning at a point behind Joe's right shoulder, before focussing on his face.

Joe gulped, feeling cornered like an animal, like Nick in that gym, like the repulsed Humanoid shooting perfect gun-shots at targets that resembled the very thing he was made to protect.  
The curtains behind the desk billowed like his anger. The circular room closing in around him.

"What's the point in making him shoot things, fight people, when he doesn't even know the 'dangerous' world out there? What is the point in testing him in a laboratory? It's so damn pointless!"  
There was no need to test him; Nick was absolutely perfect to Joe's eyes. A little quiet, way too smart, but a good kid. He truly was like a brother and locking him up like this would do no good. Not to either of them and certainly not to the rest of the world.  
Joe Lucas wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, or the brightest bulb in the box, but he knew that Nick was the most important scientific break-through in decades.  
He felt uncomfortable, threatened in the presence of the CEO, but he wanted to stand his ground, stop the pointless torture they were putting Nick through.

So he stared into the pale blue eyes, his fists quivering as they rested on the armrests, his jaw set as he watched him polish his glasses. He was quiet, too quiet. Joe felt like there was some kind of time-bomb he wasn't aware of hidden in the room.

Nick laughed, loud and heartily at Joe when the elder nearly had a heart-attack because of the little girl approaching them, informing Nick that his eyes were behaving strangely and he should see an optician, like her little brother had.  
Joe had frozen, completely stunned that the girl, barely five years old and pigtailed, would notice such a mere detail about Nick.

Nick had crouched down immediately, a perfect pose of friendly intensions, like a parent would approach child. He was the image of child-care as he spoke, softly, to the little girl.  
Joe didn't quite catch what he said, still trembling with fear, but he caught something along the lines of 'tired eyes' and 'they should really learn to behave themselves'

The girl had scurried off to tell her mother, which was waiting for her with tired eyes, two more kids and heavy grocery-bags on her arms.

"Aren't you scared she's going to tell?" Joe asked Nick, when he was done laughing at him.

"Of course she's going to tell," Nick explained fondly, gazing after the little girl as she jumped around her mother, "but she's a human child, a near infant to even your standards. It's a pity adults don't see the beauty in their innocence, the truth she speaks and the beauty of her mind. Her baby-fantasies will protect us, for no-one will ever believe her."

_"I'm not a child!"_

Coler merely gave him a 'really?' expression, before he turned around again to stare at the window. His eyes flashing behind his glasses as he traced the city's skyline. His shoulders were tense, as he put his hand against the cool glass in front of him.

"Yes you are. You're a baby. You know nothing," he said, "You are not the supervisor of this project, you're not the one who has invested a lot of money into this project, you're not the one that needs this to work to save his company. You're not the one who made the plans, who has done everything in his power to make sure people do what they are ordered to do. You have no idea of everything going on behind your happy little humanoid bubble."

Joe fell back into the chair behind him, shaking his head in denial at the harsh words. Macy had never voiced these worries when she was still in charge. He wasn't so stupid that he wouldn't notice that!  
Or did he really know that little, was he really that unobservant?

"I'm very, very disappointed in you and what you did today; you don't seem to understand the importance of the situation. I need to know its capabilities. You don't seem to grasp that he is not human_, Joseph."_

"I'm— He's just a…"

"Humanoid. We need to know everything before we present him to the public and send him on his mission to better the earth. It's not done with a snap of your fingers; he's weak and useless if we don't know what our possibilities are. He's not going to go out there and make world peace. We need to test him." 

"That's where I live," Joe said, smiling brightly as he pointed out the fire-house to Nick, his fingers nervously wrapping around the joint of Nick's wrist, feeling the sharp metal on the palm of his hand, "my home. I can't wait for you to meet my family!"

He still didn't know how he'd accomplished this. How he'd finally gotten Nick out of that hell-hole of a testing lab. One moment, Coler had been screaming at him, the other…

Now Nick was here, out in the open and completely safe, walking around like he'd done this with Joe every day of his not-quite-so-long- life. He was out here, with Joe, finally tasting the world the way he should.  
He was wearing a T-shirt and a jacket. Jeans and boots. His eyes now covered with Joe's sunglasses.  
He looked like the average teenage boy on Saturday; slightly ruffled (not like he'd just come out of a full-out fight _at all_) and happy with the prospect of two days without school.  
Not that he needed school, of course, because he was a genius.

Joe felt euphoric because of this, but extremely protective of the Humanoid as well.  
All his worried were proven wrong by the amazing normalness of Nick. He walked besides Joe, their shoulders touching and he felt the warmth of Nick's skin through the fabric of both their jackets.  
He couldn't even tell the difference from real skin and he _knew_ what Nick was.

Nick looked like an average person, like a random friend of Joe Lucas. A relative, most likely, for it was obvious they looked alike and were synced with each other like they'd known each other their whole lives.  
A nephew.  
A long lost brother.

_Joe swallowed back his tears as Coler pulled him into the office.  
"What were you trying back there?" He hissed at Joe, his eyes blazing with rage. His fingers were folded around Joe's upper arm, bruising his skin and making Joe wince away from him. He'd never seen the CEO this mad._

"You were forcing him to do things he didn't want to do!" he snapped back, the tears welling up in his eyes. Feeling them burn in his throat, his nose, his mouth.

"You are not to undermine my authority, do you understand? I'm letting you stay, because I feel like you are honestly interested," Coler's voice was low and even more frightening then the whispered yells, "but I will kick you out and into the gutter if you ever try to pull something like that again. He doesn't have a will. He's a machine!"

He released Joe's arm, pushing him towards his desk while he angrily paced around his it to stare out of the massive window that reached from floor to ceiling. Angry air wheezing through his nose. In and out like an angered bull.  
A bull with really powerful horns.

"I just, I just don't understand." Joe said, feeling something unknown build in his chest, "I don't understand why?"

"That's because you're a child!"  
  
He wondered what they would do, what they would think of Nick. He wondered if his mother would accept him like all the friends he'd ever brought home, or if it was going to be different after all the lying he'd been doing  
He wondered if his dad would shake Nick's hand, like an equal, like a boy of his own race. Or if he would be suspicious. Would he notice, would he figure something was wrong with Nick?  
He wondered if Stella would like Nick. He really wanted her to; he prayed they would like each other, even though they were as different as could be.  
How could they not like each other when Joe loved both of them so much?

How would Kevin react when he came face to face with his _clone?_ Would he feel it like Joe had done, back then, when Nick had still rested within the tube? Would they get along, would they have that brotherly bond or something even more? Would they be like twins, sharing the exact same DNA?

Joe didn't know and he was equally eager to find out as he was hesitating. But it was a step forward.  
A step for Nick, out of the lab. A step for Joe, back to honesty with those he loved.

_ "You're right."_

"… come again?" Joe's mouth fell open when the man who'd been yelling at him mere minutes ago was suddenly staring at him with a very serious expression.

Coler smiled, either at Joe's puzzled look or his next words, "He is_ inexperienced. If you think that he's ready, we should see how he copes with the real world. I say we take that risk, on your authority, of course."_

Joe gulped, the words hung in the air like a threat, bringing back the tension that had momentarily left.  
Would it be worth it? What if he was proven wrong? What if something went wrong? What if Nick got hurt?

"He's ready; he's been ready for ages." He heard himself say, shocked at his own words.  
It was for Nick's good. That would be worth it. Right?

"I'm home!" Joe yelled, making Nick look at him in a brief moment of wonder, before he went back to thoroughly examining the room they'd just entered. His eyes focussing on all the details. The couch he fainted on when he'd kissed Stella (_cough, _yeah…), the large kitchen counter Kevin had nearly blown up last year, the three fire poles. One too many for the two occupants of the upper floor and the fire-helmets on the wall.  
Joe could almost see the numbers and observations roll behind his eyes and on his… well yeah; he probably had a hard-disk.

"Oh, honey, you're early!" His mother's voice spoke happily from the doorway behind the three fire poles, "To what do we owe this… Oh."

Joe smiled at Nick, who was curiously prodding at the apples in the fruit bowl, before turning to his mom. "I want you to meet someone, mom," he said, "Nick, this is my mother. Mom, this is Nick, he's a… friend."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Lucas," if Nick was surprised to see Sandy, who was technically the mother of his DNA, he didn't show it, "it's very nice to meet you; Joe has told me so much about you."  
It sounded like he'd rehearsed it and acted it out perfectly. It was nothing Joe hadn't heard him do before, so he merely pulled the pear from Nick's too strong hands before he squished it. Not that he would, but Joe didn't want to take the risk. Normal people didn't squish pears, or splinter woods, or crush stone…

His mother, however, was slightly taken back at Nick's formal manner of speech, making Elvis bark at her as he ran up from behind her, but halting at the tension.  
_Smart dog,_ Joe mused.

His mom gaped at Nick for a moment, looked back at Joe and returned to Nick before she seemed to snap to her senses, ignoring his stretched-out hand and pulling him into a hug.

"It's very nice to meet you."

-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-

_The frustrating thing was that the Lucas boy had been right.  
That and the fact that he had once again been forced to play nice with the boy. He hated leaving all the kid's whims and moral disagreements unpunished and he was quite fed up with his pointless rants and feelings. Putting up with the teenage angst was not something he keenly wanted to waste his time with._

But the boy was vital. The project couldn't be completed without him. His DNA was too valuable.  
And if Coler's instincts were correct, and most of the time they were, Joe held another important link to his goal.  
He just needed to find it. He was missing that one link Misa's granddaughter hadn't told him about.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the only working Humanoid we have with the kid?"

"He's barely older then you are," Coler said, brushing his fingers over the cheek of a Humanoid female, down her chin and to the hollow of her neck. He knew this one; she'd been one of the first, her DNA extracted from a persistently capable source. Scandinavian, if he remembered correctly.

"And he's an incompetent idiot," Coler's companion snorted. His lean figure standing with his back towards the room of exposed human-machines.  
Coler had been looking forward to this day, when the improved Humanoids were proven stable enough to survive out of the test-tubes. Seeing them lying silently on their tables, however, proved equally depressing to watching them float behind glass.

"The flaw to every plan is underestimating your enemy, son, never forget that," he lectured the boy, "I would've liked him a lot more better if he'd been actually stupid, but he isn't a complete moron. I could live without the constant questions and it would mean less obnoxious talking, but he's the brother to a source, he's got the brain cells."

"I'm just saying it's dangerous, dad," the young man said, shifting uncomfortably as he faced his father.

"Has it ever not been?" Robert Lincoln Coler ran his hand through the hair of another Humanoid, much like he'd done with the first, the only one alive up until now, when he hadn't been activated yet. Only this one was fair and female, his fingers ran over the Chinese sign none of his people had been able to translate yet. Three lines, crossed with one.  
He sighed, "how to activate you, my beauty, how?"

Somehow, he knew the boy was the key.

-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-

"Your mother seems to really love you," Nick commented, as he followed Joe up the stairs, his fingers never even inching towards the banister.  
He'd just been thoroughly hugged by Joe's mom, which had seemed to surprise Nick more then the gush of first fresh air into his face.

"She does," Joe told him over his shoulder, jump-running up the last few steps, "and I love her."  
He was silent for a few seconds, as he looked into his room, passing the empty space behind the poles without thinking twice, but finding Nick staring at it has he turned around in the middle of the room.

"I love them all, they're my family," he finished. Nick nodded, walking towards him at a slow pace.

"Listen, about what happened…" Nick pressed his finger against Joe's mouth, immediately shutting the lean boy up as he pointed towards the stairs.  
Joe stared with wide eyes and not moments later, Kevin walked into the room, halting as he spotted Joe and the boy he didn't know.

"Hi, Joe, you're home early," his sentence was slow as he confusedly stared at Nick, "I… Joe— who's this?"

Nick and Kevin stared at each other, brown meeting brown, completely frozen in their tracks and not listening to Joe's 'this is a friend of mine…' and downright ignoring him. They took in the other's features, knowing or sensing something about the other that wasn't supposed to be there.

Joe looked between them, but felt as if he was looking through a tainted window, seeing them, but not quite clearly.  
He felt kicked out of the bubble, for a second, before he realised.

_"Oh…" _he breathed, backing away from the two men, towards his bed.

They were completely still, Joe was pretty sure Nick wasn't breathing, and frozen staring at each other. Something, something unknown, hanging between them.  
It had never happened before, that a Humanoid met its source. That a clone met its DNA-drain.  
Not that there had been many clones or Humanoids, but something inside them knew that the person in front of them was very, very important.

Joe sat back on his bed, trying to shoo away the swirling jealousy in his stomach. He watched when they, as if on cue, walked towards each other, stopping mere inches from touching each other. Nick stared up into Kevin's face, analysing every detail, every angle, every skin-tone. Kevin stared down at the strange boy, seeing the similarities, fighting with himself in his head, because it just _wasn't possible_.

He watched as they raised their hands simultaneously and two versions of the exact same being, one human, one not very so, touched.  
It was so similar to the way he and Nick greeted each other, acknowledging the other's presence, but so different that it made Joe turn around, he couldn't watch.

He reminded himself that they were, indeed, like twins. He shouldn't be surprised they reacted to each other like this. Hadn't he and Nick done exactly the same, even when he was still inside the tube?  
His fingers blindly grabbed for something to toy with, to get his mind to let go and wander, focus on something else.  
This was good; this was what he'd wanted. Nick was _Kevin's_ clone, not his. He had no supernatural claim on Nick.  
Wasn't he the one that had so persistently said Nick was allowed to make his own choices, had his own will. He wasn't a toy, he wasn't exclusively Joe's.  
Even though Joe had begun to think of him as his. A little.

He fingered the thing in his hands, looking down to confirm it was metal. His mind didn't realise it didn't belong here, but he was so used to it his mind didn't think it important enough to register.  
He looked up from it as a hand came to rest on his shoulder and he was looking up into Nick's face. Finding it smiling at him and holding up his hand to touch Joe's, extracting an immediate reaction from Joe; he didn't even have to ask.  
They had the movement synchronised.

Joe smiled. Nick wasn't his, Nick wasn't Kevin's. He was Nick, his brother.

He threw the object back on the bed, not seeing the strange metal, not feeling the coldness of it, when it should've been warmed in his hands. He didn't see the three lines, crossed with one.

-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-  
_"Penny?"_

"I've found the sign!"

"Where, where did you find it? What does it mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything—"

"But what…?"

"It's a key; the boy has a key with the sign on it!"

-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-

Joe snickered at Kevin's face, not caring that he'd been wearing the exact same expression before. Heck, he still wore it at moments, when Nick surprised him again with unexpected skills. He lazily petted Elvis's ears as he re-adjusted himself comfortably on the floor before the TV.

This time, however, it was very ironic that Nick impressed Kevin with _this_. Really, Joe wasn't surprised. He was convinced Nick possessed nearly every possible skill.  
Including playing the guitar.

He chuckled loudly when Kevin absently shook his head in amazement, watching his brother and his _brother_ from his position on the ground.

"You're great!" Kevin exclaimed when Nick had finished playing the unknown tune, "You're absolutely amazing!"

Nick merely shrugged, exchanging a meaningful glance with Joe and smiling at them, before starting another melody. This one was familiar to Joe, though it surprised him.  
He knew he shouldn't be, really shouldn't be, but he was.

It was a song Macy had regularly played in her lab. Joe hadn't been aware Nick had been able to hear it too. Had he been able to hear them from inside the tube?  
It couldn't be. He hadn't been activated yet.

_Maybe it was like with unborn babies_, Joe thought to himself, drawing curious lines into the carpet, _didn't those hear music inside the womb._  
He snorted; the tube wasn't quite the loved stomach of a woman. Far from a uterus.

"You're doing it wrong," Kevin suddenly said, snapping Joe from his thoughts.  
He gazed curiously at his older brother, who had stood up to loom over Nick, who was staring at him… almost scared?

"You're playing," Kevin explained, gently taking the guitar from Nick, "but I don't hear _you _playing. There's no emotion, you don't feel it."

Nick looked even more confused then before as he immediately looked at Joe for answers. Joe just smiled reassuringly, leaning back, leaving this one to his brother.  
The Lucas family had always been better at expressing themselves through music.

Kevin started playing, _really _started playing, his fingers dancing over the guitar, caressing it like it was the most precious thing in the entire world, speeding and playing, his eyes closed as he extracted the notes from the beauty in his lap.  
To him, this was bliss. Everything else aside, this was what he loved.

Joe immediately recognised the song; it was one of their favourites. Very typical for Kevin to play it at a moment like this.  
Feeling as happy as he was now, he didn't have a problem with a little jammin' time with his brothers.

"Gather 'round guys, it's time to start list'nin. Practice makes perfect, but perfect's not workin'." Joe stood and smiled at Nick before he belted out the next lyrics, "there's a lot more to music, than knowing when your cues gonna be. You can play all the right notes, but that don't mean you move with me!"

"Technically, it's that _doesn't _mean…" Nick commented, before Joe unexpectedly pulled him up from his chair, which proved to be rather difficult. He kept forgetting Nick was partially made of metal.

"But if you can jump, like David Lee Roth. Or pump your fist like your brooms the boss…"

Nick crossed his arms and frowned; "What does an old music legend have to do with this?"

"If you got a heart and soul; you can rock and roll! Rock and roll!"

Joe now laughed at Nick, who stared Joe down like he was crazy with his identical brown eyes; "Joe, I don't _have_ a hea—"  
"Shut up," Joe interrupted, "and sing!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Joseph."

Joe danced away from him, dancing along with Kevin's guitar riff, "Strummin'. Drummin'. Slide across from runnin'. The stage is your home if you learn how to own it!" He pointed at Nick, beaming at him comically –one of Joe's many talents— and nearly punched the air in joy when he saw Nick smirking, still unmoving like a statue, but it was progress.

The fact that Coler would've seriously disapproved made him sing even louder. "Like the great Stid, there's no way that you can fake it. You've got to feel the beat before you can move. Even though you're not wearing blue suede shoes…" Elvis and Nick stared at each other for a second, "Makin' mistakes, but that won't matter. If you can swagg like 'ol Mick Jagger!"

Nick chuckled at Joe's poor imitation of Mick Jagger, as Joe once again came closer to him, swinging an arm around Nick's shoulders, "If you got a heart and soul," he placed a hand Nick's chest, "You can rock and roll! You can rock and roll!"

"Joe…?" A familiar voice suddenly chimed in, making a startled Kevin nearly snap a string, his guitar going quiet with a harsh and off-key strum, "Who is this?"

**Ah, Stella, don't we all love her?  
Gah, I am so in love with this chapter! The last scene has been planned since the very beginning, but I wasn't sure if I was going to use it, since it would mean a lot of writing around to get it fixed, but I'm sure glad I did! **  
**Technically, 'Heart and Soul' is not a Jonas song. Technically not written by them. So **_**technically**_**, it's not theirs and therefore it's okay for me to use when they're not a band. Claws up for weird logic.**

Oh and Dan, the person whose been demanding a 'Kevin meets Nick'-scene, if you DARE to not like this, I will personally come and fly over to Australia and I WILL tacklepounce you!  
With all the love in the world, of course. 


	14. of fights and confessions

In which Joe looses everything, including his consciousness. Again. 

"Stella!" Joe exclaimed happily, getting up and beaming at the tense blonde girl on the doorstep, "Hey, I want you to me–"

Stella's eyes narrowed to slits, effectively freezing everybody in the room; black lashes framing her bright eyes sharply as her hands raised to cross her torso in a pose that made all Joe's alarm bells go off, his voice trailing off into an inaudible whisper.

"Don't you tell me what to do, Joseph Lucas," her voice was cold like the ice-berg that sunk the Titanic, the Albatross, the Islander an probably the Endymion… –because yes, Joe did pay attention during history class—

In his peripheral vision, Joe saw Nick tense at the annoyance in her voice, probably remembering Coler, but Joe could hear more then anger in her words.  
He knew Stella, had known her for years; they grew up together, were attached by the hip since they were in pre-school.

Joe could hear the doubt and the hurt in her voice, though the reason for it puzzled him.  
Even her eyes weren't simply sparkly like they normally were. They were tear-stained.

It made him wonder how long she had been standing there.

"Stella?" He said, cautiously, "This is Nick, he's a friend…"  
He walked towards her, approaching his best friend like she was a wounded animal.  
He was only mildly surprised when she backed away from him.

"Don't, Joe. I'm fed up with this," She shook her head, her ponytail flipping behind her.  
She stared up at him as he came closer nonetheless. Her arms lowered to wrap around her own waist. She glowed in the light of the evening, but at the same time she seemed lost in the house she grew up in.

Joe felt the gazes of both Kevin and Nick on his back, but put the Nick-related alarm bells on hold, focussing only on Stella.

"Fed up with what?" He questioned, his mood having dropped from ecstatic to nervous in just those few seconds, plummeting in his stomach.

Then, a tear actually rolled over her cheek, and it made Joe feel even more helpless as he sadly flung his hands back and forth; he had no idea what in the world was going on.  
One moment he was on the floor with his brothers, jamming happily and finally feeling relaxed. The next he felt the urge to gently wipe a tear from Stella's cheek.  
What the heck?

She gestured towards where his brothers were standing, "This, Joe. All of the secrets you keep from me." She whispered, pausing to look around the room, though her focus never really lost him, "I've been waiting for you to go back to normal, to just being my friend, for weeks. I waited for _my_ Joe. But you just keep lying to me, keeping things from me."

Stella shook her head again, a silent sob rocking through her, "I guess I really lost him."

Joe still didn't get it, looking back helplessly at Kevin and Nick, who weren't of much help, both looking as lost as he was.  
What had set her off like this? What had made her hurt? Usually, he would strangle everything and everything that hurt her, but he wasn't dense enough not to understand that it was _him_ who had hurt her and he had no idea what to do.

"Stella, I–"

"Save it, Joe, I don't want to hear it," She said shakily, turning on her heels –new ones, ones Joe didn't recognise— and running back down the stairs.

"Stella!"

He wanted to follow, but he already heard her speeding towards the door, so he sighed and ran to his pole.

"Take care of him!" he yelled to Kevin –or to Nick, he wasn't sure— before he slid down and twirled once dizzily.

"Stella, please," he called after the whizz of blonde that disappeared through the door.

Luckily for him, he was taller, with longer legs and in the luck she was wearing heels. He didn't once stumble as he ran after her, stopping her somewhere in the middle of a street, halfway between their homes.  
Quite ironically the place where they would always meet up to walk to school together.

"Let me go! Joe!" She yelled at him, but trying to get closer to hit him at the same time, attempting to hit him.  
He expertly dodged the arms flailing his way and grabbed her wrists.

"Stella, calm down!"

But she wouldn't, she struggled against him, pulling at his hands and kicking at his shins.  
He sighed. One long, exhausted sigh and pulled her into his arms. Locking his wrists behind her back and burying his nose in her hair.  
Her head was now tucked in the crook of his neck and he felt the tears stain the collar of his –technically her— shirt.

"Shh," Joe whispered, ignoring the smiles and curious stares they were receiving, stroking her soft hair. _Why did sad stuff always happen to him in the evenings?_  
At least she hadn't changed conditioner without his knowledge.

Her sobs quieted down eventually, though it took quite a while, but she smiled softly in satisfaction as Joe, who had removed his jacket earlier and hadn't bothered grabbing one when he ran after her, shifted uncomfortably at the nails dug in his back, only covered with a thin tee.

"Hey," he said softly, pulling back a little and trying to catch her eye, succeeding, "please tell me what's wrong. I sorta lost your trail of thought there."

"Exactly," the fashionista whispered, "Just like I lost yours."

Joe frowned in confusion, softly rubbing up and down her back, but she stopped his hand and instead cradled it in two of hers, only barely fitting around it, but fitting.

"You've been so distant, for a long time now. You stopped telling me everything, every last one of your secrets," She finally confessed, her voice still hitched, "and I miss your random phonecalls in the middle of the night and the way you _always_ know something is wrong with me. But now you didn't even notice!"

Her voice wasn't even accusing, though Joe would've rather had it angry. The disappointment and hurt in her voice was worse then any angry rant she'd ever given him.

"You passed our monthly shopping-trip, you forgot my mother's birthday and I was just so _confused_."

Joe could easily identify that; _he_ didn't get what he was doing half the time.

"And then, when I come to visit you, _again_, and I find you actually at home, you're on the floor, having a great time with someone I don't know," she had clenched her teeth by now, staring up at him again.

"Stella," he whispered, almost desperate. For once in his life, he had no idea what to do with her. For her. To make it better.  
And that, apparently, was the whole problem.

"Who is he, Joe?" She questioned when he didn't finish or answer, "You two looked awfully cosy." 

"He's a friend…"

But she didn't let him finish; "Just a friend! You two look like you've known each other for years, the way you were dancing around him!"

Damn Stella and her perfectionist eyes and love for figuring out people's relationships. Damn it all.

"I–"

"Is he that big secret you couldn't tell anyone? Is he what you've been hiding? You've never had anyone I didn't know too. Is it really that bad?"

Right. Spot on as always. He had almost forgotten about that.  
All he could do was gape now, like a fish on land, anxious for the oxygen he could only get from water.

"You could've just told me you know? That you had a boyfriend... You know I don't judge…" Her voice trailed off.

Joe took a double-take, finally stepping away from her; "I– What!"

She blushed now, fiddling with the hem of her shirt-dress, "I just… the way you were moving around him, the secrets, that you couldn't tell your family."

"He– I— Nick's not my boyfriend!" Joe exclaimed, "God, no, Stella. How could you think that? He's just a friend and…"

He went silent when the smaller of the two bowed her head, almost in shame, but with a, for him, noticeable expression of relief, "You were jealous!"

Her head snapped up, staring at him in offense, crossing her arms again, "Why thank you, Mr Obvious, of course I was jealous! I'm not used to you keeping secrets from me, you know? I mean, what was I _supposed _to think?"

"Anything. But. That!" Joe scoffed, nearly toppling over in silent laughter.  
The grin was quickly slapped from his face when Stella, very quickly got back in her game.

"Who is he then, Joe?"

Joe stared at her, faced with a dilemma that was already decided and distracted by the shine of her hair in the setting sun. He opened his mouth and proceeded to close it just as fast, hanging his head in shame this time.  
"He's… a friend."

"Yeah, I thought so," Stella said, remorsefully. 

"If you knew…"

"But I don't," she said softly, and he could hear the tears running over her face, "so is this where it ends? Are you going to pick your secrets over me?"

His head snapped up, making him pull a muscle in the back of his neck, feeling the pain flood through his throat like the mental coursed through his entire body at her words.

"You're kidding, right?"

She couldn't do that! She couldn't make him pick between her and Nick! He was his brother; she was his… soulmate-best friend!  
If only she knew that.

"Stella, I want to tell you, but I literally can't!"

Her expression was sad but determined as she straightened her back and almost seemed to look down on to the now hunched, but still taller form of Joe.

"Your answer is clear, then," her voice was thick, "goodbye, Joe."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

****

"_Honey, calm down!" His voice spoke through the speaker in a hushing manner, "What's wrong?"_

She pressed the earpiece closer to her ear as she sobbed into her pillow, "I did what you s-said, Ben, I stood my ground."

"That's good, how did it work out?"

"I think- I think I just broke up with him…" Another en_tourage of sad little cries was emitted at the receiver._

"This confuses me." 

"_I mean our friendship," she explained to him, "I- I told him it couldn't go on like this if he was lying to me."_

"It really does sound like you two were in a relationship… Do you, I don't know, want me to come over with... err— ice-cream?"

She nearly laughed, quickly dissolving into sobs, "God, no. That's what he would do."

"Is there anything, honey, that I—"

"No. There isn't," she whispered, "but it's nice to know you're there for me. You're such a great person, you know?"

He merely listened to her.

"I'll go cry this off, get it out of my system. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, get some sleep too, you sound exhausted," he nearly ordered.

"Yes, dad. Bye." 

"_Goodbye."_

****

"Talk to me._"_

"It has been done. The girl is pried away from the source-family."

"Good, send them. Play time is over. A Coler always_ gets what he wants."_

"Not always, father, not always."

****

Joe sauntered home, his pace slow and agonising, as if trying to prolong his own silent suffering.  
He screwed up. Big time.  
To think this all started out so innocent, as innocent as him just trying to help people! Like he was still doing?  
Why did all this bad stuff happen when he'd done nothing but be of help.

Karma sucked. Big time.

But he couldn't blame it on the unknown glitzes of the universe. He knew he was responsible for his own doings, but when he agreed to secrecy, he never thought he would've been involved in something so deep and ugly.  
Because that was what it was.

He didn't trust Coler and his scientists. Doing nothing but pointless, harmful things to Nick. Nick who had so many possibilities, so many things he could be doing. Things they could make progress with.  
But no, Nick was stuck in this almost passive state, with just boring old Joe to talk to.  
Whoop-tee-doo.

And now, because he had somehow gotten involved with Coler –whom he'd helped go unmask his traitorous daughter!— and was _loyal_ to him, all the while betraying those he loved the most.  
Loosing the one thing that made life make sense for him half of the time.

He didn't think he was ready for that, but he was unable to make a choice. He couldn't pick either Nick or Stella, it was impossible.  
He loved both of them too much.

He found himself in front of the fire-house way too soon. Way too soon to have cleared his mind. Or to have cleared it. Or to have made it realise what exactly just happened.

His head was a haze. A haze like on that cloudy Monday morning where everything you see is seen just a little too late, because one can't look farther then a feet all around.  
That's what it felt like.

It also felt numb. Joe wasn't sure if he was happy, surprised or worried about that.

He remembered to close the door behind him and managed to climb the stairs without just letting himself tumble back, but wished he had walked straight out again when he was faced with Kevin's worriedly widened brown eyes.  
Another pair of brown eyes a more appropriate distance away behind him.

"Did she hit you?"  
Kevin had never really been one for subtle.

"No, she didn't. She just left," he answered shortly, not really feeling like 'talking about it'.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, surprised at the uncontrolled movement involving his hair. He was more cautious about that, normally.

"I just want to be alone right now," he managed, hurriedly walking past Kevin, but locking eyes with Nick, who nodded shortly.

He looked, guilty? Poor thing. He had never really witnessed anything like this. Everybody always kept their emotions in control around him. Everyone except Joe, which was probably why _Nick_ stopped _Kevin_ when he wanted to go after him.  
The Humanoid had gotten to know him; knew how to read him like the books he could basically recite.

Once he had slid down the firepole and was back downstairs, he just stood in the middle of the room for a second.  
He had really wanted to throw himself on his bed and lie there until he knew what to do, but that was apparently no option, since he wanted to be alone and upstairs was _not_ alone.

He kicked at a chair that annoyed him when the fact that Stella had really, actually just walked out of his life settled in a little.  
She didn't want to be friends anymore.

How was that even possible? How could someone suddenly_ stop_ being your friend?  
She couldn't do that to him, he _needed_ her. She was his other half, his best friends since basically forever!

He picked up the chair he toppled over and sat down on it, hands rubbing his face.

He didn't want this, none of it. He just wanted all of it to go away.

The haunting image of Robert Lincoln Coler constantly nudging the back of his mind, the fear for his newly found, not-quite-human-brother, the sudden change in his life and, heck, the sudden change in _himself!_

When had he stopped caring about his hair? When had he begun to protect everyone around him?  
He was the clumsy one, everyone had always protected _him_!

He wanted Stella to come back, his father to trust him again, his mother to start asking him to do stupid tasks again. He wanted Elvis to just be _Frankie's _dog again. Just a normal, leash-pulling, pooping-on-the-carpet dog! Was that too much to ask?

He was nearly shocked when he found a tear running over his face.

He quickly wiped it and sat up straight in his chair. 

Sobbing about things wasn't going to help him solve all those things.  
He slumped; it still sucked. Hard.

Then he shot up again at a loud noise from upstairs, startled at the unusual sound and a gurgled yell that could only belong to one person; his elder brother.

"Kevin?" He called, hesitating halfway out of the chair.

It was silent for a few moments, before he heard more crashes, a louder ones caused by clearly bigger things.

Joe ran for the stairs, shoving all his previous thoughts and a new one of _'what now!'_ into the back of his mind.

This had also changed; a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have taken this initiative.

"Kevin!" He called again, running up the stairs two steps at a time, the worrisome noises never stopping, and halting in the doorstep to overview a scene that was shocking at the least.

Kevin wasn't there, but he saw a group of men, at least eight of them and dressed in black, surrounding Nick, who was backed up into the empty space of the room on Joe's right hand.  
There were at least three more black-dressed, but (hopefully) unconscious men at his feet.

The look in Nick's eyes was indefinable, a mixture of ferocious anger and an icy calmth.

"Nick…?" Joe started, terrified by the faux-calm atmosphere in the room. He was ignored.

The Humanoid's attackers advanced on Nick and his body crouched back, as if scared, before he lunged forward in one smooth jump for their throats.

Joe watched in horror as Nick's right hand clamped around a man's throat in what Joe knew was an iron-grip and said man was thrown against a wall like a ragdoll, arms sprawled out and his right knee bend awkwardly.

Nick's body continued mercilessly, _his_ right foot slashing out in his turn and hitting two men straight in the face.  
Nick's shoe was covered in their blood, as the first one immediately crumpled and the other's hands reached for his accurately broken nose, blood streaming down his neck, crying out in pain as Nick elbowed him backwards, where he tumbled over one of his fallen mates, landing with a loud 'oompfh'.  
This all happened in less then five seconds and Joe felt nauseous and slow, like after a rollercoaster-ride.

Even Joe's scream when the last four masked men pulled out automatic weapons and aimed at Nick seemed slowed down. Too late and too human.  
He took a few steps forward, but stopped again when Nick went for them fearlessly, scurrying them and Joe's eyes widened as the smaller boy violently ripped a gun from one man's hand and hit him in the stomach with his own weapon, before he pulled it to rip over the unfortunate's chest and hit his face.  
One more fallen.

In Joe's mind, the words _'they have no idea what he's capable of. They have no idea._' Were repeating themselves like a broken record, when Nick fearlessly walked towards the rest, grabbing another gun, but instead of pulling it like the man expected, he pushed him backwards with more force then even Joe had thought him capable of, so the guy was slammed against a pole with an odd, crushing sound and a scream and fell through the hole.  
Joe heard bones break from ten feet away.

Then, as Nick turned for the remaining two men, Joe saw that his eyes weren't their familiar brown anymore.  
Instead, they were glowing with a fluorescent blue, pulsing colour Joe recognised immediately.  
It was the colour of his wires, the lights inside of his robot-body.

_Robot_, Humanoid, ice-cold killer.

He pushed himself back against the doorpost when the two men started shooting at the Humanoid, but he didn't budge an inch.  
It simply jumped for them again, its once fitting, human clothes stained with the blood it had caused and ripped because of the attacks and the bullets that didn't kill it.

It grabbed the wrists of the two men and bend them, breaking both their arms at multiple places so they screamed out in pain before it took a gun and fired the remaining bullets at their knees.  
They crumpled before it. Kneeled before what had single-handedly brought a unit of twelve men to their doom, not uttering a sound as they went down with pained yells.

They were unconscious before their heads even touched the ground.

Joe's hand covered his mouth as he stared at the Humanoid's back. It didn't move, not even to breathe.  
He should be out of oxygen. Wheezing. But _it_ wasn't.

Hesitantly, Joe walked towards it, death scared as he stared at his brother on the floor.  
Did it do that, too?

He raised his hand cautiously, meaning to put it on Nick— the Humanoid's shoulder, but before he had so much as touched the skin exposed by an unfortunate rip, it whipped around, it's face contorted in a grimace and it's hand like steel, wrapped just below Joe's elbow as he pulled Joe down, slamming him against the ground.

His body crashed to the floor and he cried out in pain as all the air left his lungs. Pain shot through his nerves like a flood.

He couldn't believe it, his mind refused to. This was insane! This wasn't what they tested; it had been holding out on them!  
It was a killer. A killer-machine, just like Coler told him. Just like the man wanted it to be.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp above him and whimpered as it crouched down beside him, the glowing blue leaving its eyes until they were brown again. A fake, make-do brown.  
But it couldn't fool him.  
_ 'They had no idea. None."_

"You stay away from me!" he yelled, trying to scoot backwards, but crying out again as his arm buckled beneath him, sending him straight back to the floor as he tried to get away from the Humanoid.

The expression on its face was shocked, guilty and not-understanding as it watched Joe struggle to his feet, its hand reaching halfway towards Joe.

"Don't– stay back!" he warned the robot, tears now running over his face.  
He couldn't believe what had just happened. His head had to be messing with him.

Then he ran, his feet wobbly, but efficient as he ran for the stairs and down.  
The Humanoid didn't follow.

He ignored the crumpled form of the defeated man lying by the poles and stumbled straight out the door he had only entered so shortly ago.

_'They had no idea. Absolutely no idea._'

He ran, kept running, ignoring everything around him as his mind had gone blank, except for that one goal. The only thing that would— had to make sense!

When he finally reached the small house, just a few blocks over, he nearly hung on the bell and fell to his knees in front of the caramel-white door. Cradling his hurt-hand to his chest.

The door opened and all he heard was another startled intake of breath from above him.  
Only this time, he recognised it with relief. This was safe. This was _her_.

"Joe!" She questioned, her hands cupping his face, "what happened to you?"

"I'll tell— I'll tell you everything, just please, please…" he nearly chocked on the air he was trying to gasp in, "I'll tell, just don't leave me."

"I won't," she whispered, sounding like she had been crying, too, "Oh god, I won't."

"Please," he whimpered, finding his face buried in her vaguely perfumed neck, breathing in.

He was safe now, in her arms.  
After that, everything went black.

****

**Sorry for the gruesome fight, the totally opposite direction this is going and the fact that I haven't updated for so long.  
I'm having a love-affair with glee, so my attention is taken by the fictions I write for that, most of the time, but I haven't forgotten about my precious little Humanoid!  
Plus, we (meaning ****Chibiyugixyami****, ****Snowfallxo**** and ****Destined Jonas****) have thrown out all of the pitchforks, so you can't chase me.**

You can yell at me in reviews, though. *hints at button* 


	15. of different eyes and calculations

In which Ben, Nick and Joe break things, one more successful then the other. 

He swung the unconscious body of the young Lucas boy over his shoulder, locking his elbows behind his knees, for the teen was heavier then he seemed.  
When he was sure his latest assignment was secure on his back, he crouched down, next to _her_ body, her golden hair fanned out over the dark rug, surrounding her head like a twisted halo. Her pale arms sprawled out on the ground.

His muscles strained beneath the supple tan skin of his arms as he rose, whispering a silent apology she would never hear. A lie made of only truths.

He turned his head, feeling the Lucas boy's limbs twitch; he had to go, but allowed himself one more look back at the girl he betrayed. It had always been the plan, but it felt wrong.  
His jaw set. She didn't deserve this; she was a nice girl.

He shook his head as he made his way to the door, left open by those unsuspecting innocents. He hated his job, he absolutely hated it, but he promised.

The kid had told the girl, foolish as he was and so he had written his own fate.  
Ben Coler once again concluded that his victim had no restraint whatsoever, as he threw Joseph Lucas into the back of his car.  
He wasn't exactly the smartest and worked on impulse, more then anything. He didn't see why Stella liked him so much; he didn't deserve her.

But nothing of it mattered. She wouldn't see him again.

He'd seen Joe talk to her though— heard him, even, but his father didn't need to know that and he would convince her it was a dream or a hallucination. That the Malone's had been robbed, that they took Joe, who was with her when it happened.  
Robot humans didn't exist, after all. Not yet. He would protect her, as a proper apology.

He shook his head. He apparently inherited the tendency towards idiotic plans.

His fingers clenched around the steering wheel, they turned white from the force he used. He wished he could just walk away. He wished everything was the way it used to be.  
But he promised her, he promised her to take care of their father.

"Oh Penny," he sighed, turning the corner, "I wish you were still here."

-~~ SCENE CHANGE ~~-

He couldn't find any trail of warmth left in the darkness, no indication of pressed ground, no dander. There was no trail left of Joe. He'd lost him.  
How was that _possible!_

The young Humanoid's fist connected with the concrete wall beside him with a sickening crunch, leaving the grey stone dented and crumbling as he stalked away from it, crouching shortly before his joints stretched and he jumped upwards into the air and bounced off the concrete wall three, four times before he landed on top of the building silently, the mechanisms in his legs and lower back resembling those of a great cat, rather then the human he was made to reflect.

His mind worked in overdrive as it processed all that had happened, quickly calculating the possibilities, all the outcomes that were only slightly relevant.

Everything had been fine, according to plan; he had been at Joe's house. He had met his source, Joe's brother.

_Joe's other brother_, he told himself. Or at least, he hoped that was still true, for the obvious shock on Joe's face, the fear in his eyes and the cold disconnection he'd initiated had made it clear to Nick that seeing him in the middle of his defence-mode had made Joe realise that Nick was indeed stronger, better, more advanced then he'd made those idiotic scientists believe.

His feet moved beneath him, in a stride that no human would ever hope to match as he leaped over the rooftops, but his thoughts weren't with the run.

He was almost as bad as those scientists; he was mere. He hadn't been able to stop himself when he felt Joe's hand on his shoulder. He had lost control completely trying to protect the only thing that he couldn't loose and had scared him away.  
Of course, he had immediately known it was Joe when he touched him, but he hadn't been able to shut his programs down fast enough, so he had attacked the one person that cared for him.

Other then mother Macy, of course.

Her too, he had disappointed. He hadn't been able to protect Joe, to finish what had been started a very long time ago and for the first time, Nick was angry with himself.  
He should've immediately taken action when he sensed them following them.

He hadn't thought they would take action though, they never did. He was too valuable, Joe was too valuable, his source was too valuable. Macy had explained that very carefully to him.

He jumped down a four story building, backing away into the shadows and rapidly moved back towards the firehouse.

_What could be more important then they were? What was something Coler wanted even more then him?_ He questioned his mind.

The answer came quickly as his databases provided him with all the data he needed, coming to one off-putting conclusion.  
He nearly moaned as he realised what he'd left behind when he made the decision to follow Joe. 

Not only his source, out in the open and unprotected, though he'd hidden him well.

The key, _his key_, the one Joe activated him with, must still have been in the house. That is why they came in and broke through all of their own set boundaries.  
The attack wasn't for _them. _It had been a distraction! Coler had outsmarted them.

Then, his hearing sensors piped up, warning him they'd picked up a _very _familiar breathing pattern. Joe, unconscious in a car.  
Immediately, his eyes focussed on all the details in his broad view, searching for the source of this sound as a sleek, black Audi passed him.

There, in the backseat, was the pale face of Joe, resting against the glass, his mouth half-open and a small trickle of blood running over his temple.  
His first instinct was to stop the car and rip off the door that held his brother hostage.  
A more rational side though noticed the face behind the steering-wheel.  
A quick search attached a name to the face; Benson Edmund Coler, 19 years of age; son to Robert Lincoln Coler and Sara-Elise Coler.

There were no alarm-bells ringing in his head; not even a red-light, but he knew going after Joe now was a bad idea.  
Not because he couldn't take Ben or the car, but because harming the boy might set off Coler in a way that would hurt Joe greatly.

So he waited, passively and unmoving, a steel gaze resting on the car that seemed to pass by in slow-motion.  
When it turned the corner, Nick immediately stalked away, fury like boiling oil raging through him as he fell into an inhuman stride, covering the remaining distance to the house in a mere twenty seven second flash of strength.

He opened the door and it hadn't fully closed yet before he reached the stairs, shooting up and darting across the room, over unconscious bodies and towards the bathroom.  
It wasn't very creative, efficient or full-proof, but it had served to be sufficient.

He had only had several seconds to hide his source and his observing skills had come in handy; he had pressed the nerve-endings he knew would knock his source off his feet for at least three hours and had pushed him into the bathroom after a gurgling scream on the older boy's part, which had summoned Joe back up after he stormed after the young blonde he obviously fancied.

He would've protected Joe, like he was supposed to, but there simply hadn't been more time.  
He had that figured out long before the moment they broke the windows and started shooting at him, but he still felt horrible about the whole ordeal.  
Now Joe was gone and at the full mercy of Robert Lincoln Coler and his minions. Without a Nick to protect him.

He opened the bathroom-door, peeking through curiously; surprised to see his source was already half-way awake, even though it had only been two hours and thirty two minutes, sixteen seconds, since he paralyzed him. Then again it was his source he was talking about.

"B-Blimp?" Kevin asked quizzically, squinting at him from his position beneath the sink.

Nick opened the door further, "Nick, my name is Nick, remember?"  
He crouched down next to the older man, who looked up at him with bleary eyes and a half-open mouth.

"Joe?" he now muttered. It was clear he meant 'where is' though Nick would've understood if he were confused for Joe, after the way they'd reacted to one another.

"Kevin, I must tell you something. Listen to me very carefully."

-~~ SCENE CHANGE ~~-

Joe woke to the blurry vision of a shadow moving above him and a scorching pain in both the left side of his head and the inside of his elbow.  
The figure atop of him was supporting his upper back, his feet folded uncomfortably beneath him on a cold, hard surface and he had no idea where he was or how he'd come here.  
Where was Stella?

A penetrating smell of something rusty, an expensive perfume and burning chemicals hit his nose, making him crunch his face up in discomfort.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" the figure whispered gleefully, as if his obviously female companion enjoyed what she was seeing as her slender hands pushed something sharp painfully deep into his skin.

"Penny?" He guessed, forcing himself to focus on her heart-shaped face and darkening eyes. Maybe it was the light, but it almost seemed like she had fangs.

"Have you finally been paying attention then? Next time, remember the orders my father gives you too," she told him hatefully, withdrawing the knife from his arm, gleaming with his blood, "you're lucky you're still valuable to us."

She held a small tube up into the air, smiling as a spilled drop of Joe's blood made its way down her wrist.

"Especially now that we have the precious Key," she grinned, sliding fingers through his greasy hair and yanking his head closer, "now that we have that, there is nothing that can stop us."

Joe grimaced in pain, her nails digging painfully into his skin as she hissed a menacing 'thank you, Joseph' into his ear

"Thank you for being such a mess-up," she whispered finally, as she threw him back on the ground.  
He hit the surface with a blow that knocked all the air out of his lungs and his head spun for a few seconds.

However he refused to accept her insults any longer, he'd taken them, swallowed them and he was sick of it. He was done with playing obedient. He wasn't a godforsaken dog!  
And he couldn't possibly get any deeper into trouble then he already was, now could he?

So he gritted his teeth and lashed out, kicking the young Coler-girl in her face with all the force he could find in him.  
Desperate times leave a human with powers they might not have had before, so the blow was really damn hard.

To Joe's utter horror, the girl's body didn't move an inch; it was just her head that moved with a sickening crack, stilling at an awkward –heck, _deadly—_ angle.  
His eyes widened as the girl in front of him merely raised her hands and folded them around her own jaw, pulling.

One unhealthy crunch later and her head was back in place, blue eyes staring at him with amusement.

"Don't mess with things stronger then you, Lucas-boy, don't try to be funny, my body is very expensive."

With a cackling laugh, she walked out of his… cell? And closed the heavy door behind her, her heels clicking while she walked away.

There was only a soft dripping sound left as he heard her walk down what he imagined to be a hallway, though he couldn't see. The thick, white bars were too far away.  
Slowly, he realised the dripping sound was the blood welling from the wound in his arm, his head pounding from the hits he'd taken in the last…  
He didn't even want to know what time it was.

He looked around his cell, letting his eyes rest on the fake-innocent white walls and the sterile white floor, darkened because there was no light to illuminate its colour.  
There was some sort of a modern bed that resembled a bunk-bed, like one would encounter in the tour bus of a famous rock band. There was a sink and a toilet and even a not-quite-comfortable-looking chair.  
At least it wasn't some sort of torture chamber or dungeon and it was relatively clean, safe for his blood on the ground.  
It was probably the first time he was grateful for Coler's pompousness.

He sighed, sending a silent apology to Stella as he pulled his shirt over his head and started to carefully rip it at the seams.  
Nick had been so curious when he'd told him about his time with the scouts. His mother had thought it would be good for him.  
Because of his clumsiness or lack of interest in mother nature –he love her, he just wasn't really fond of the bugs— he wasn't sure, but he'd learned a thing or two about first aid.

Nick.

_Don't_, he told himself, _first things first; you can feel pathetic and horrible later. _

And so he settled back against a wall, the farthest away from the door and started to wrap a part of his shirt around his wounded arm, attempting to clean the wound on his head with another piece of cloth and a little water, trying not to think of the wounded look on his brother's face— on the Humanoid's face.

On Nick's face.

He couldn't believe what he'd done. He'd positively deserved that blow to the head.

He groaned in frustration as he realised Nick was all alone now, if they hadn't gotten to him already, though he doubted that last part. Nick was smart, smarter then he'd let on. Stronger then he had seemed. There was little chance they would catch him.

He could only hope his two brothers would take care of each other and Stella, if he was lucky, while he rotted away here.  
Maybe he'd deserved it. He'd been such a prick to all of them.  
First to Kevin, abandoning him; then to Stella, forgetting about her; then to Nick, having betrayed him.

He rested his head on his knees, feeling positively miserable, his hair blocking the last remaining light from his face.

Then a voice called to him, softly and cautiously, as if the familiar voice was scared of breaking.

"Joe?"

He immediately crawled towards the bars, an incredible joy rising in his chest.

"Macy?"


	16. of cellmates and insanity

In which the curtain of secrecy is finally lifted, up to a certain height.

Joe's hands folded around the sterile white bars of his cell with a painful grip as he pushed himself closer to it.

"Macy? Macy, is it really you?" He questioned, resting his forehead against the cool metal, exhaustion washing over him like a tidal wave. He was already on his knees, locked up in a cell after what was probably the most traumatic experience of his life.

He'd seen the blood of a brother and watched as another fought intruders like a murder-machine, after which he'd betrayed the same brother and ran for the arms of his (former?) best friend, broke down and blacked out and woke up in a place where what he had formerly _thought_ to be a human had taken his blood forcefully and left him to probably rot away in this cell.

He felt like crying when he heard her familiar voice call out to him; "Joe, oh god, yes! It's me! Are you all right? What happened to you? Is the Humanoid okay? Why are you here? What did that monster do to you?"

The questions were bombarding Joe's mind and he struggled to keep them apart, deciding to answer what he could;

"I'm, well I'm far from fine, actually," he sighed in her general direction, still not sure _where _she was, "I'm rotten, to be honest and Penny or that thing or whatever it was just _cut _me."

He glanced down on the wound on his arm, blood seeping through his makeshift bandage, "I don't know if Nick is okay, I left him in quite the dangerous situation… I don't even know if the rest of my family is okay," tears now streamed over his face as he recalled Kevin happily playing his guitar with him, just moments before Stella had barged in and everything had collapsed; he had no idea where Kevin was, or if he was okay. Would his parents come home to one son gone and one son dead? He didn't even want to think about it.

"Oh my, Joe, I'm so sorry," Macy answered from somewhere in the darkness outside of his cell, "I'm so, so incredibly sorry. Please forgive me; I never should've brought you in here, I should've known it was wrong from the beginning. It turned out to be nothing but trouble, I'm so sorry," she took a deep breath, maybe to keep herself from crying too, "I didn't know, Joe, I really didn't, this never should've happened; grandfather would be so disappointed…"

"Don't say that," Joe suddenly caught himself say, soothing in Macy's direction, "You did an incredible job with Nick, with the project and everything."

It was silent enough to hear her breathing, to localise it somewhere to his left, to hear the anxiousness in her voice.

"He's everything you– we could've hoped for, he's intelligent, strong. I've seen him do incredible things, inhuman, incredible things. Oh Macy, you wouldn't believe what he's capable of," he said, "But he's so human at the same time, he reacts human. And you know what, you know what?" Joe swallowed and fell silent for a minute, staring at the vague white-grey wall opposite to his cell, picturing Nick's face, smiling at Joe when he sang with Kevin, talking to the little, pigtailed girl, interacting with Joe in between tests.

He remembered the first time he'd seen Nick; still locked up in that hideous tube and that first time he'd opened his eyes. Their mother's eyes.  
The struggle and problems Nick had faced at the beginning of his life, like a newborn baby The way he'd connected with Joe back then; both of their hands on opposite sides of the tube and later, on the glass of the testing room.  
Why would he have protected Joe, instead of his creator, when they'd been attacked, if he couldn't feel that bond they had?  
Joe had seen him laugh, at a safe distance from the scientists; Joe had seen fear flash in his eyes when Coler had showed Joe the reset-button.

The shock of seeing him so, so robotic at the firehouse had only had such an impact because somewhere, along the lines, Joe had begun to see him as something more then just a robot, more then a humanoid.  
His subconscious had seen Nick was someone like himself, something alive, breathing and _human_.

Nick had become a friend, a brother, _family. _

"I think you created life, doc," he said, concluded at last.

Then, she chuckled softly, shutting him up immediately as his eyes hung on to the strange sound of humour.

"What?" He questioned, puzzled.

"I know what he's capable of, what he _is_, Joe, I _made _him," she answered softly.

Joe went silent for a few moments, both of them just breathing stuffy, chemical air into the darkness.

"So you knew along?" Joe asked to a Macy who had regained her calmth in record time. He figured all scientists were like that, Nick's testers had been void of any kind of emotion.

"I always knew he was alive and rational, it was the way my grandfather designed the Humanoids. I just… _failed_ to inform Mr. Coler about that, because it had always been our secret. We didn't think people were quite ready to know we might be able to create life, create a successful clone of a human-being, we weren't even sure we _could_. But when I saw your brother's unique DNA, I knew I would be able to succeed what my grandfather had started so many years ago. With his discoveries and designs, modern technology and Coler's money, I knew I could make it happen and I did. Nick is soundly alive, Joe, just a little stronger and more advanced then an ordinary stranger. That's why he's called a _human-oid_."

He could feel her smile through the darkness.

"So you knew how strong he was and the stuff he can do?" Joe asked, "All those tests weren't needed?"

"They tested him? Gosh he must've had fun with that," she now openly snickered, "I told him he couldn't out himself before I gave an okay, but since I never could I figure he gave them a real hard time."

Joe raised his eyebrows and nearly smiled himself; he could see the humour in her words. Nick had been fooling all of them the whole time, Joe had seen as much for himself.

He'd probably played a very dangerous game with Coler, but he'd played it magnificently, faking his abilities and leaving the scientists desperate for some kind of robot-improvement that he simply didn't give. Throwing all their clever tests back in their faces; he'd aced them all, but with no sign of the promised extraordinarily.

"Kevin's humour, I see," Joe smiled, resting more comfortably against the wall of his cell, since he was pretty sure he would be here for just a little longer; might as well take the time to find out exactly what had happened, right in front of his face.

"How do you mean?" Macy asked in return, probably interested in her Humanoid's source.

Joe thought of his older brother, always underestimated, keeping his own extraordinarities from other people, almost just like Nick had done.  
"My brother isn't quite like others; his DNA being different doesn't quite surprise me. He always acts goofy, as if he's obvious to everything that happens around him, but he's really not. People think he's weird; sometimes they even call him stupid. I think I might have been one of them at some point and I'm really sorry for it, because he's got one of the most amazing personalities I've ever seen," Joe pulled his legs up to rest his arms on them, thinking about his older brother, hoping Nick would find him or that they would find each other and be okay, even if he had to rot here.

"How so?"

"Well, you see, he's actually quite clever, he could be an honour student if he wanted to, but he simply doesn't. He comes up with the strangest, most brilliant ideas. He's always the first that figures something out, even though he usually keeps it to himself, because he enjoys seeing other people find out for themselves. He loves watching people, observing them and stuff, though I think it's kind of boring. He acts childlike sometimes, but in truth he's almost wise. He always knows what to do and what to say."

Kevin could always tell when something was up, when someone felt sad or angry and even annoyed and he could usually tell why, too.

"He's so talented, he simply doesn't _show_ it."

And Joe had taken too much of it for granted, he realised. He had sometimes even got annoyed with Kevin and his way of being… Kevin and he really, truly missed his brother right now.

Joe had always taken care of his family in every way he could, he always helped his mother out with everything, always had time for his little brother, made sure Kevin didn't get lost in his endless fantasy.

But Kevin did just as much, in his own way.

No one had been able to make Frankie eat his vegetables when he was younger, except for Kevin and his incredible stories about the veggies. And more then once, before Joe became a pillar to rely on for others, he had been _Joe's _pillar.

And he could really use his brother's arms around him right now.

"I'm sure he's okay, whatever it is that happened," Macy suddenly said, after a long period of silence, "I can hear in your voice that you're worried and that you love him very much, but he seems like someone who can hold his own, if he's anything like Nick and if they're with each other, I'm sure they'll be fine. Gosh, it'd be so interesting to observe them as source and clone, there's so much I haven't seen Nick do yet, so much I've missed out on!"

"I hope so," Joe said, responding to her earlier words, desperately wanting to believe it. He sagged further against the wall, feeling quite useless.

"So," she continued, apparently acceptant of her fate as well, "Care to explain why you are here and not protecting my dear Humanoid?"

The corners of Joe's mouth pulled again and he wondered why he even _could _smile, seeing the situation they were in, but apparently Macy had that effect on him. And there wasn't really anything better they could do, except keep their spirits up and hope for the best.

"We got attacked, Nick defended himself, _for real_, I kind of panicked, ran and got caught. I think," he summed up, "What about you?"

"Found out about Coler's plan to create an army of my poor Humanoids and threw a fit," Macy huffed, "He didn't really appreciate that."

"He _what?_"

Macy sighed, as if preparing for a long story and set off; "Nick isn't the only humanoid anymore. I think that after I explained to him what DNA I needed, he set Penny out on a hunt for similar DNA, like with the poor girl you saw being harassed and your brother's Scandinavian friend in the hospital, I think they were two of her best catches. Your brother is unique, but there are more people like him, with DNA similar enough to do the same I did with Nick. After Penny attacked us, and I still don't know _why _she did that, I woke up in one of Coler's private rooms, near the basement-lab in a different building,"

"There's more?" Joe asked, his mind trying to imagine just how big Coler's operation was.

"A lot more, I actually think this is the same one, but let me finish my story," Macy shut him up; "I wandered around and stumbled upon a gigantic hall filled with Humanoids, not yet-activated nor programmed."

Joe's eyes widened in the darkness at that image that he couldn't quite imagine.

"At the sight of those poor babies laying there like mass-production products, I kinda flipped out on Coler, said some things I shouldn't repeat at this time and ended up here, to say put it simply."

"Jeez," said Joe.

"But before he locked the door, he told me what he planned to do with them."

The words hung threateningly into the air, thickening it and making Joe shift slightly on the hard concrete ground.

"He wants to use them to set off a revolution, humans against his humanoids, with him as the glorious leader, of course. He wants to use my babies, my grandfather's hard work, for his own evil plan, for his greed. You've got to understand that he's incredibly intelligent and slick like an eel, but also quite insane."

"I kinda figured," Joe said, closing his eyes, Coler had proven a little instable more then enough times for him to believe Macy's words immediately.  
The man was mad, period, just like his daughter.

"He used to be my grandfather's assistant and climbed himself to the top thanks to quite some really great discoveries, controversial experiments and quite some charm, but he completely broke down when his daughter died."

Joe shook his head, even though she couldn't see that from the other cell, last time he checked, Penny was well functioning and able to force sharp metal into his skin, that was pretty damn alive to him.

"The Penny you know is not the real Penny, Joe. She's just a rehash of his real daughter; one of his own prototypes for robotized life; a hydroid. The real Penny was a nice, sweet girl; she always used to babysit me before she died in that accident. She was Robert Coler's little princess and losing her drove him over the edge he'd always been hovering near. He couldn't handle it and created a lifeless machine as a substitute, always hoping for more, always hoping that someday, he could revive her."

"But he can do that now, can't he?" Joe suddenly felt bad about hating on Coler, even though he was still a major prick that hurt him and his family, losing a loved one was horrible.

"The accident happened on a bridge and from what I've heard; her car was crushed pushed into the river beneath by a giant truck. They never found her body, so there's nothing left of her to revive."

"So he made a robot of her," Joe finished her story, suddenly less sickened by Penny's headspin earlier and less confused by the way she'd spoken of herself.

"I think the waiting and lack of evidence was a big part of why he fell into the black depth he's in. He never got to see her death or say goodbye properly, so he chose the easy way of simply ignoring it, of not feeling at all and focussing all his pain and wrath on what he's doing now."

Joe grid his teeth together, "Hurting others."

"I think it's the hardest on her brother," Macy continued softly, as if sensing his flare of sudden anger, "He lost a sister and a father, never had a mother to turn to, since she died at his birth, but he didn't have insanity to reside in. Poor Ben."

With a move quicker then he ever would've expected of himself Joe was back on his feet, hands back against the bar and cold sweat breaking out all over his body.  
Panic coursed through his veins as he recalled the freckled face of the young blond man Stella had been so enthusiastic about.

"What did you say?" he forced himself to ask, not wanting to know the answer.

"Ben, Coler's other son; I think he was the one that brought you in."

A tear made its way over Joe's cheek as he realised just how close Coler had gotten to them, how obvious he'd been to the man's power, to his insanity.  
Was he above killing to keep his secret safe? Was his son?

Joe didn't know and all the fear he'd been feeling before, soothed by the conversation and explanations, came back to him full force.

"Joe! What's wrong?"

"Stella," He whispered.

()()()()()()(SCENE CHANGE)()()()()()()()

_His smile broadened as he watched them move, not yet fully conscious, but they were _working!_ He was ecstatic about the progress they'd made since discovering the abilities of Joseph's DNA and the use of it.  
And now that he had Joseph at his full mercy and the key in his hands, there was nothing stopping him anymore._

He walked around the two robotic humans and watched them tremble as the machinery inside of them started up, though his scientists still didn't know exactly how it worked.

It still irritated him, that only the little Misa knew exactly how his _machines worked, but they had to build them exactly like the first, to make sure they worked._

But nothing mattered now, he had their systems, their growth-process was complete and he knew the key to piecing them together. Once he had more of Joseph's final addition, all of them would reach the state these two were in now.  
The only thing left was to program and activate them all.

The one of the two cloaked figures behind him moved slightly, accidentally. His cloak rustled and Coler was on him in seconds, his hand around the figure's throat, pushing him to his knees, so his hood fell off his head and revealed the newly scarred face beneath it.

The face of his son stared at him with a burning hate, but submission in his eyes; Coler knew he wouldn't defy him again.  
He'd let the girl live, against every order he had given the young man and he had paid for it.

Coler softly smiled at the few drops of blood that slowly made their way over his freckled face, as some of his wounds re-opened. 

"_My blood wasted, it's almost a sin," he spoke, "but fortunately, your blood is worthless."_

The eyes kept staring at him, broken and anxious, but he kept himself composed, just as his father taught him.

"Don't disappoint me again," he ordered, forcing the boy to rise to his feet and pressing a kiss against his forehead.

"I won't, father," he said meekly, immediately turning to complete his mission. 

"_Penny, my dearest?" He then questioned, smiling as the other figure immediately sprang to his side._

"The boy?" she asked eagerly.

"You know what to do," he confirmed, "but make sure not to kill him; yet, we might need him in the future. A little tattered and shaken will do."

The age of the humanoids had come, nothing could stop him now. 


	17. of story telling and innocent blood

**Sorry for the long wait, I feel like a horrid author, but I'm pretty much stuck in the annual may/****June rush (meaning, EVERYTHING is out to get me atm) and I choose my grades, work and future over my writing at the moment, I really do hope you understand and forgive me for that.  
You've been very supportive through this and I love updating for you, but I have to mention that I, myself, will always be the one deciding when I write and post something. Reviews inspire and help me along greatly, but please do not to pressure me into stuff, it's really demotivating and I do have a life outside of fanfiction. I'm doing my best to keep everything balanced right now. Thank you in advance.**

**Now, on with the chapter.**

Warning! Mature content and blood coming up. 

In which Kevin is shocked, Joe is pricked and Ben is pinned.

Kevin Lucas was a boy of many joys and many, many dreams.  
Now, however, it was like everything had suddenly turned into one giant nightmare.  
One moment he was jamming with his baby brother and his new supposed 'friend', trusting Joe would eventually fess up on whatever he'd been doing. Kevin had sensed this 'whatever' had something to do with Nick, whom he'd taken an instant liking to for some reason or another, and he'd trusted that Joe would know what he was doing.

He had most obviously not and Kevin couldn't believe he _missed _it.

He buried his head in his hands, rubbing his temples against the ache that still lingered after his black-out. Elvis, who was lying at his feet, licked an exposed stripe of ankle-skin in doggie-comfort.

It wasn't exactly helpful.

"Okay, _okay_, rewind," he told the boy-something in the middle of their room, who was turned towards the broken window, only his head turned towards the oldest Lucas in unrestrained observation, "You say…"

"And I promise I speak the complete and unbiased truth," Nick swore, his voice calm and sincere as he turned towards Kevin completely, his arms crossed over his chest and Kevin swore he saw his eyes light up with a strange colour blue. He held back a shudder.

"Right… So you tell me that since my accident, which wasn't really an accident but an abduction," _such a comforting thought_, "Joe has been hanging out at some kind of Frankenstein-laboratory?"

This explained the _where_ part of all the questions Kevin had been asking himself the last couple of weeks.

"In this company, they experiment with DNA, including _my _DNA, to make super strong human robots of some kind," he summed up, raising an eyebrow at Nick for confirmation, trying to visualise the workings of that in his head.

Nick nodded once, his curls –which were seriously freaking Kevin out now that he _knew_— moving sharply around his head, "correct."

"And you are, supposedly, one of those Humanoids which was made of _my _DNA, put together by a good-scientist who meant for you to help the world."

He got why Joe would be interested in something like that. _Heck_, Kevin would've given his DNA freely if he'd known.

"But the good-scientist was taken down by the evil CEO of the company she worked for and he had us attacked by those ninja-figures that you took down after Joe's fight with Stella, because he wanted your… activation key," Kevin took a deep breath, trying to get the facts in line in his head, "Joe freaked out when he saw you fighting," _Kevin was kind of disappointed he'd missed that part,_ "ran and got kidnapped."

"In simple words, yes, that is what happened," Nick said softly, going back to staring out of the shattered window of their home.  
His dad wouldn't be happy with that when he returned from the convention tomorrow; he'd probably have to tell some kind of story about Elvis's ball being thrown the wrong way. Their father would probably buy it, seeing as their mother slept with ear-plugs.

Just their luck Frankie's friend had a dog-allergy, forcing the youngest Lucas to leave his beloved dog behind.

"Simple words?" Kevin reacted, somewhat taken back; he'd thought _his _version was quite complicated.

Nick send him an apologetic glance, unfolding his hands and walking over to Kevin. Kevin let him invade his personal bubble, somehow comfortable around the robot, human– Humanoid.  
He _had_ been made out of his own DNA, he reminded himself.

Nick put his hand on his shoulder, his face a mask of calmth, but Kevin easily detected turmoil in his eyes, which were so alike to Joe's brown orbs it was almost scary.  
And like Joe was an open book to him, so apparently was Nick.

"You must understand that I don't know all the facts, nor do I understand exactly what he is planning. I just know that our loss of the key, Macy and Joe, plus the increasing attacks on special teenagers can't possibly result in something good, if Robert Lincoln Coler is behind it. I fear for what might happen if we don't do something."

Kevin stared up at the youngster in front of him, watching him subconsciously tense and worry creep onto his face. Suddenly, he felt so extremely sorry for this man, no this _boy,_ standing in front of him, that he stood up and wrapped his arms around Nick in a rush of compassion for the humanoid.  
He couldn't help that he was made this way; he couldn't help what happened to Joe. He just wanted to make his right.  
And somehow, Kevin believed that they could do that. Something about the boy made him trust him.

"I don't know what he wants, or what he is going to do with Joe, but it's not good," Nick muttered against his shoulder, accepting the embrace, though hesitantly.

_Poor thing mustn't have had very much hugs in his life_, Kevin suddenly thought and pressed Nick even tighter to his chest, before letting him go.

"I believe you," he said, "And we're going to do something, we're going to rescue our brother and your creator."

He'd already caught onto the sentiment that tainted Nick's voice whenever he spoke of his mysterious creator, so he supposed she was like a mother figure to him or something.  
He couldn't be older then a month, maybe two, even though he appeared, acted and probably essentially _was _much older then that.  
But he deserved somewhat of a family. A mother and a brother seemed fair enough.

Then he caught on to the sudden emotion on Nick's face as he looked up at him, with something resembling gratefulness, or admiration.  
Kevin realised he'd just called the boy his brother, without thinking, but he wasn't about to take it back.

"I don't suppose we can call the police or anything, can we?" he suggested weakly, knowing the answer before Nick broke away from him and shook his head sadly.

"Coler's too powerful and well-informed to even think of that. We'll never find Joe, or his plans if we confide in official authorities,"

Kevin nodded, clenching his fists as the realisation of his brother, his baby-brother, was kidnapped by some evil person that was going to hurt him.  
Who knew what was happening to Joe right now? The same things that had happened to Kevin, during his 'abduction', something he still had nightmares of? Or was it much worse then that already?  
He didn't know much, even less then Nick supposedly knew, but he knew it hurt to even think about Joe in a position of pain, mental or physical or anything.

Until he felt Nick's fingers on his cheeks, he hadn't realised he was crying.

"It's okay," Nick comforted, weakly, since there was very little that could be considered 'okay' at that moment, "we're going to find him ourselves."

Kevin nodded, stubbornly staring out of the same broken window Nick had been staring through moments before.  
Dawn was approaching fast, the sun already peeking above the horizon.

Sun.

_Stella._

And then it hit him.

"STELLA!"

~~~-SCENE CHANGE-~~~

Joe didn't know exactly when he'd dozed off into a sleep, but somewhere along the lines his worries and aching body had succumbed to the exhaustion.

His face rested half against the slick wall, half against the white bars of his cell when he woke up, disoriented when he felt the thick metal move.  
He quickly figured out what was going on when he was roughly pulled out of his hunched position in the corner and dragged out of the cell, into the small hallway that connected the cell-block to the rest of the building.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, hearing Macy cry out too, pulling at her bars, which he knew wouldn't move, but the hands pulling him up to his face and slapping him in the face – really freaking hard, may he add— weren't about to have mercy on him.

He swore he would've seen stars if she'd hit him any harder and swayed on his feet, stumbling along with his captor towards the light of the door.

She –because he was _pretty_ sure it was Penny– kept on shaking and disorienting him, hitting and punching him, not hard enough to black out, but hard enough to leave him wheezing for a few seconds, tears stinging in his eyes. She kicked him to the walls, which had no mercy on him whatsoever and pushed him along more and more sterile white, hospital-like lit hallways. He struggled, tried to get away, but she seemed to be everywhere.

Joe had no idea where they were going and frankly didn't care very much either, for he was focussed too much on trying to dodge the painful strikes the humanoid-girl let rain down on him.

Eventually, after he had been thoroughly convinced she was trying to cover his entire body in bruises, she pushed him through a door, where two pairs of hands caught him and dragged him away by his arms.

He caught sight of machines that seemed vaguely familiar, due to his time in Macy's lab, but also quite a few that chilled him to his bones, somewhere deep below freezing point.

Once more he fought, not like Nick might've done, but he fought none the less. It was to no avail, but he took pride in the fact that he wouldn't be the only bruised one by the end of the day.

He wasn't sure he would make it that far, but at least he had done everything he could.

They strapped his arching, unwilling body to a cold table, cutting away the rest of his ripped up shirt, exposing him to their eyes. One of them clicked on the lights above him.

Lying on the hard, uncomfortable and cold table, Joe closed his eyes to avoid the harsh lights. His eyes were once again unfocussed by the sharp sting, even with them closed.

The most frightening part was that he couldn't move now, not an inch. His arms and legs strapped to the poor attempt of a bed. He tried to struggle, but his bonds were too tight.

He heard her laugh, but didn't see her, didn't want to see her either. He just wanted to get away, he just wanted to go back home.  
He would do anything to leave, to run back to he safety of his mother's arms. What he would give to look into her eyes right now.

He screamed as something sharp and cold, like a bee's sting, penetrated his bare skin. He was almost completely naked now and pain shot through all his exposed body-parts.

When his eyes were finally able to focus beyond the annoying light, he finally saw that the things he previously thought to be bees, were in fact needles, held by masked men.  
They were probably the same that dragged him to the table, shadows cast over their faces, but Joe was pretty sure he'd seen them before, in the testing lab. With Nick.

He had always hated needles, but this was beyond horrible. They were wide and long, nothing like the merciful little pricks nice doctors gave him, but painful stabs that drew the blood from his body.

Laughter was heard every time he winced from the stinging, still unable to do anything against the assault on his already exhausted body. The light still stung his eyes, the straps cut into his skin and his head was going dizzy from the way they kept draining blood from his body.

When he looked up, searching for a way out of the bright spotlight, he saw a figure with honey-blonde hair holding a little tube of what seemed to be his own blood, laughing at him with the same wicked smile, her teeth bared in wicked joy.

Then, he was hit by the most powerful feeling of déjà-vu, knowing he'd been here before, in this very position, weeks before, two days after Kevin got kidnapped, the night of the day he had met Macy Misa.

This time however there would be no playful doggy-kisses to wake him up, no realisation that it had all been a dream.  
Because this, this pain, this horrible pain, was real.

This time, the brown eyes staring at him from the end of the bed weren't Macy's frightened ones, but Coler's smug ones, holding up the tube of crimson liquid.  
He mouthed something and Joe strained his eyes with the last strength and instinct he had left in him. He had to rewind the words in his throbbing head to get them;  
"Your blood, dear Joseph, is the key to my unstoppable army."

He was grateful when something up there pitied him and he lost his consciousness, his head rolling to the side with unseeing, bloodshot eyes and tears and blood smeared over his face.

~~~-SCENE CHANGE-~~~

Kevin ran op the Malone-residence, Nick hot at his tail and knocking furiously on the door, not surprised when nobody opened the door.  
The elderly Malone's weren't home very often; it was part of the reason why Stella hung out at their place so much.  
He tried to look through the windows, but the curtains were closed and he cursed, receiving a disapproving look from a few elderly ladies passing by, but he didn't care, not even if he knew them from feeding the ducks at the park.

He jump-turned around when he heard a loud crash and he nearly did it again, this time in joy, when he saw Nick stand next to a very crushed front-door.

"C'mon," he trusted the boy in sensing his gratefulness and wasted no time in bursting through the door, into the living room, Nick following immediately.  
He briefly wondered why the Humanoid let him take the lead, but didn't question it.

The living room was a mess –and not even the usual mess of a family only half-way living here— and smelled like their garden after a late barbeque.  
It was a mess resembling a robbery, an attack, _murder._

Nick had stopped right beside him, looking over his right shoulder at the scene before them, before he seemed to move at lightning speed towards the figure hunched over Stella's sprawled out body in the middle of the room.

"Stella!" Kevin yelled, his mind immediately jumping to care-bear mode, only seeing his friend's unconscious state and taking up the position the stranger had previously occupied.

His fingers ran over her pale face, mumbling her name over and over again, with little response. Her eyes stirred and her fingers twitched, but other then that she didn't respond.  
But at least she wasn't dead.

Kevin focussed his attention on what was happening a few feet away from him; where Nick was currently pressing a very debauched and beat-up looking Ben to the wall.  
Kevin noted that the bruises weren't Nick's fault; they were at least a couple of hours old, but he couldn't think of any reason why anyone would beat up Stella's _boyfriend_, except for maybe Joe.  
Like he couldn't exactly fathom why Nick was currently curling his fingers dangerously tight around Ben's neck, his teeth bared and his entire body tense with anger.

"Nick, calm down, it's just Ben, Stella's boyfriend," he managed, lifting said blonde up in his arms to cradle her to his chest, checking for injuries. She still smelled vaguely of the perfume Joe had gave her for her last birthday.

Nick laughed humourlessly, replying with an ice-cold voice; "This, dear Kevin, is not simply Stella's boyfriend, but Benson Edmund Coler, son of Robert Lincoln Coler, the kidnapper of our brother and the general bad-guy of our story."

Kevin gaped at the young man's gasping, angry face, in shock. _Stella's boyfriend!_  
How close had those creeps been able to get to them? How far did their arm reach?

Pretty deep and pretty far, apparently.

He swallowed, "What do you suggest we do with him?"

Nick narrowed his eyes, dropping Ben to the floor for emphasis, standing over him with a dark expression on his face.

"Nothing worse then anything they're doing to Joe."


	18. of waiting and wakenings

**I apologise in advance for the lengthy bit in first person, but I found myself unable to write Stella in third person. She's just not that kind of person.  
****Here's chapter 18, **

In which Joe embraces his cunning side and Stella is thrown in the deep. The very deep. 

Déjà vu. Reliving something you did or saw before. Whether in a dream, in a memory or simply in a fantasy, subconsciously. Sometimes it's triggered by sight, sometimes by smell or simply out of nothingness.

Joe knew all of that, knew the definition, but had never really experienced anything like it, but it was coming at him, for him, from all sides.  
The needles from his dream, so many weeks ago had found him again, this time in reality. The hated odour of intimidating doctors, sugar-sweet nurses and hospitalized pain penetrated his nose, but this time, it didn't promise healing.  
The slow pulsing of something in his elbow, around the point where the knife had cut him. It was all attacking his senses mercilessly. His vision was still black and he was strangely grateful for it. It was like he was submerged in a silken darkness or laying at the bottom of a lake. There was only calmness around him.  
Joe, clumsy has he was, or had been, knew this feeling. It was the feeling of a body, maybe a mind, trying to repair itself.

He shuddered when suddenly, something traced over his wrist and towards his elbow, passing his shoulder and finally cupping his jaw.

He tried, he tried so hard to pull away, but he couldn't. All he could do was lay there, at the bottom of his lake. Staring up at the surface. He was strangely content, deciding he would lie here for a little longer, until he felt he was strong enough to swim towards the light. He wasn't strong enough now. He would fight the hand off later.

The darkness around him wavered slightly, as if to soothe him and Joe nearly smiled.

"The drug," a voice whispered, troubled and vague, the something around his jaw grasping it a little harder.

Light pierced through his soothing surroundings, blinding him and forcefully dragging him up. It grabbed him everywhere and it _hurt_.

He did struggle this time and eventually, with a feeling like he broke through the surface, he let out a gurgling scream and opened his eyes with startled, jerky movement, gasping for air.  
Strong hands kept his bucking body down on the bed.

He struggled against them, trying to roll over and to his surprise, they guided him on his side and then he was vomiting the contents of his stomach, or what was left of it, over the side of the bed.

It burned in his mouth as it dripped from his lips and he made a disgusted sound.

"Oh Joseph, poor boy," said the voice again, regretful and this time, Joe's ears perked. Well knowing who it was and immediately feeling the rage surge through his body. Adrenaline in combination with whatever stimulating drug they'd given him gave him the strength to push himself up and turn again, facing the hated, glassed face of Robert Lincoln Coler.

"The menace in your eyes is distasteful," the man told him, his hands folded behind his back, his ever present cane ticking against the sterile white floor.

Joe was really starting to hate that colour. He pulled his legs up, feeling the pull of what was no doubt an IV, but ignored it as he rested his hands between his knees, as if ready to leap of the bed and attack Coler.

The man raised an eyebrow at him, challenging. Seeing what impact the treatment had had on the young boy. Looking for what he might have broken.

Joe only stared at him, too exhausted to do anything else and partially afraid of what Coler might do to him.

"Nice and submissive now, aren't you?" said Colder, sounding pleased, "Finally remembered your place, Joseph?"

Joe closed his eyes and slumped his shoulders. He wasn't ready to fight Coler, wasn't strong enough to fight the man.  
He was at an impasse, as his father called it, a limbo, just like down in his mental lake.  
He couldn't make himself fight anymore. So he gave in; it was the easiest way. The best way to survive. He was only human.

"No fight left, beautiful," Coler now approached him, once again cupping a hand around Joe's jaw, forcing him to look into the piercing blue eyes he cursed.  
The man had no idea. No idea what coursed just beneath the surface.

The man had gotten to know him quite some time ago, when Joe was naïve and, _dare he say it_, weak. And even back then, how much had Joe really shown him?  
How much had he grown, learned, become in this time? He changed, found a piece of himself he'd been missing, grown into the person that he was now.  
He was weak now, knocked to his knees. But Coler underestimated him.  
Joe was only human, a seemingly broken one.

_But_, Joseph Lucas thought, as he was helped off the bed by two of Coler's scientist-doctors and dressed in something more decent then the hospital-gown and presented to Coler, with his head down, _humans had the amazing ability to _heal_, hadn't they_? 

In particular, _especially_, when they had something to fight for.

So he averted his eyes, gave in and let himself be a shell for a while. A shell with eyes and ears and a sharpened brain.  
And a brother with a humanoid/source pair on the way of saving him.

He knew Coler didn't have Nick, nor Kevin, because he would've surely taunted him with it. He would've used them to hurt each other. That much Joe knew of the man.

So he padded along with Coler through the hallways, dressed in scrub-pants and a simple shirt, on sock clad feet. Keeping his eyes and ears open and simply waiting.

He didn't know what would happen, but he was determined to make everything as hard for Coler as he probably could.

~~~~-SCENE CHANGE-~~~~

I couldn't believe it, a coffee-overdose? Seriously, Stella, again?

I moaned as I fluttered open my eyes, grabbing for the side of my bed –or anything else to hold on to— as they adjust to the harsh lightning. I was positive I looked like a raccoon by now, sleeping with eye-shadow is never a good idea.  
An unfamiliar scent, coppery and strangely familiar, hit my nose. It made the hairs on the back of my neck rise and I was immediately attentive.

_Joe_. There was something the matter with Joe.

Memories came rushing back to me, sprung on me like a clawing cat. Joe had been at my door, crying and scared, telling some crazy ass story about the boy in his room being a robot in grave danger and something about Kevin's accident.

From what I remembered, his story was far from coherent, but he was in a serious state of distress when he came to me. Joe was normally fairly composed, aside from the occasional drama-fit. Something had been seriously wrong with him and it made my stomach clench.

Also, there was something wrong with my room. Firstly, because it was horribly messy and secondly, because it _wasn't my room!_

At that moment, I nearly had a heart attack as I realised it was, in fact, Joe's room I was lying in.  
Joe's bed, I had been sleeping in, to be precise.

I looked around; sitting up straight in the bed I had personally designed for my best friend when they moved to the firehouse when Frankie was born.

The window to my right facing the alley was broken, a soft breeze floating into the room. Most of the curtains, my sown curtains, were ripped from their rings and the carpet was torn, curling up and showing— oh heavens, _bullet holes_ in the floor.

I let out a shaky breath when I realised where the smell came from; it was blood.  
I pinched myself, looking away from the sizable stains and noting all the messed up, broken pieces of furniture.  
Kevin's favourite chair, Joe's workout-whatever-machine. Even one of the fire poles was dented and bend.

"Stella, good lord, you're awake!" I nearly started to cry when I heard Kevin's familiar voice call out to me as he walked into the room, stepping over the blood-stains as if he didn't see them at all.

"Kevin," I croaked out, when I finally found my voice, "Thank god indeed, how long have I been sleeping? Where's Joe and what happened here?"  
I send another disbelieving glance over the room. It looked like there had been a fight going on, or someone had been desperately trying to find something.

Oh god. What had Joe been _hiding!_

I stared into Kevin's face with quite some desperation, apparently, because he soothingly brushed my cheek with the back of his hand, sitting on the bed with me.

"You've been out for quite some time, it's around eight in the morning, I believe," he said softly, sounding more serious then I'd ever heard Kevin speak.

"I'm really glad you're awake, because we have to get moving soon, before our parents and Frankie get home," he mumbled, as if he weren't speaking directly to me, but more to himself, We have to go get Joe and I rather not explain this to mom before we do, that or the reason _why_ we're doing this. Well at least we have someone to blame…"

I blinked at him. I knew vague was a part of Kevin, but this was a whole different kind of vague.  
Admittedly, I didn't knew the guy _that _well. It had always been mostly Joe I hung out with, but I expected an animal reference to interfere and make everything normal again.

"C'mon, Nick said you should meet him," he said, making to leave the bed and suddenly panic rose in my chest.

"Meet who? Where are you going?" I asked, distressed.

Kevin simply stared at me for a couple of seconds, his hair casting a shadow over his face as it hung limply around his cheekbones. His expression dead-serious and completely weirding me out. I was starting to get scared.

"Stella, do you trust me?" Kevin grabbed both of my hands in his, staring at me.  
I considered it, looked at him and noticed the malice in his eyes. Saw the lack of the usual smile and sparkle.  
He _was_ serious. Something was definitely going on, something bad at that.  
_  
Because the wrecked bedroom didn't give it away at all…_

I nearly smiled when I realised that was something Joe could've said.

I raised one of my hands to gently rub Kevin's cheek, feeling the slight stubble there. I frowned, unbelieving that Kevin and his OCD-tendencies would let that happen when things weren't as dead serious as he made them out to be.

If you'd asked me a day ago, Kevin Lucas would've been one of the last persons on my list to trust in an unknown, possibly dangerous situation.  
Now though, looking at him, without his books and bright, childish smiles, I did.

"I trust you," I told him, sincerely, "What is happening?"

Kevin nodded, rising to his feet and pulling me with him and looking at me with an intense look.

"You should know that I trust you too, Stella," He told me, with a tone so sad and determined that it nearly broke my heart, "Though we haven't been exactly close during all these years, I consider you a sister," he rubbed the palm of my hands with his thumbs, taking a breath, "My brother might be a dickhead sometimes, and quite dense at that, but he picked you as his friend and confidant. I'm not going to doubt his judgement, not now, now that he needs us more then ever. We need to be able to trust each other for this. For him."

I was quite taken back by his speech, bud nodded, dumbfounded. The feeling of dread when I realised again that something was wrong with Joe gave a sour taste to my mouth.

"Good," the eldest Lucas said, again, "now, we're faced with quite a situation here and I believe Joe has told you a bit about it, when he came to find you, hasn't he?"

I cocked my head, not quite nodding, but not shaking it either. He he'd told me a little, but nothing I understood.

And just to emphasise Kevin's agonising calmth; 'quite a situation' was kind of an understatement. The whole room was wrecked, like some kind of massive gang fight had taken place in it. Had it been the boy, the one Joe had called a… humanoda?

"You remember when I was attacked?" Kevin questioned suddenly, pulling me towards the stairs. I followed hesitantly, not letting go of his hand like it was some sort of anchor as I answered, going over the memories again. Joe had gone through a lot of emotions; I remember lots of dark colours on my mood board.

"Yes, everyone was looking for you and you came back scraped and with no memory of the event," I answered, not about to play dumb blonde at a moment like this.

Kevin halted on a step, looking back at me.  
"I still don't know anything; it's a black hole in my memory, but I did find out what happened," I raised my eyebrows at him and he just smiled at the familiar gesture.

"Or rather," He continued, "Joe did."

"Joe did?" I repeated, "When?"  
When had all of this happened, when had Joe gotten involved with things like this? When had my silly, boyish Joe turned into that man I didn't recognise?

"A day or so after they found me, give or take a few," was my answer, "We think."

"_We?_"

"Yes, _we_," A soft voice spoke up when we walked down.  
My head shot op sharply, meeting familiar brown eyes and for a second, I thought it was Joe.

My eyes widened before they narrowed at the boy standing at the bottom of the staircase. He was most definitely not Joe. It was that Nick-boy that caused all of this.

"_We_ think Joe came in contact with Macy Misa a day or so after Kevin's attack." He said, nodding at Kevin, who, to my increasing annoyance, nodded back.

I glared at the youngster in front of me; this was who Joe had chosen over me, curly hair, so like Kevin, with Lucas eyes etched in his face. Lean and tall, with a radiant calmness that irritated me. I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind that my jealousy was irrational, but I couldn't help feel a pang of green envy at his saddened face. He knew what was going on, where I didn't. I wanted to yell at him, but decided to play along.

"Misa," I repeated, it rung a bell somewhere, "Who's she?"

"My creator," The boy said.

I gaped at him, conveniently forgetting how unattractive it looked when I gaped.  
I pulled my hand out of Kevin's and crossed my arms, glaring at him.

"I want an explanation." I demanded, not yet ready to believe that _that thing_ was in fact actually _a thing_.

The boy raised an eyebrow at me, seemingly equally annoyed, "We are trying to give you one, and it might be convenient for you to listen." It was right about the first emotion on his face since we walked into the room.

"Macy Misa, pardon me, Dr. Misa is the granddaughter of _Professor_ Misa, the inventor of the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project."

Kevin interrupted both me and Nick, when I opened my mouth to question the name, "It means New Industrial Clone and Humanoid Organisation for the Living, Androids and Silicones."  
I closed my mouth and Nick the 'Humanoid' continued with his story, though I didn't get how this related to Joe.

"In short, Professor Misa created the blue-prints and plans for what reached its climax in Dr. Misa's capable hands. He combined nature and technology in ultimate creatures he called Humanoids. His theory claimed these creatures would help solve the century-long struggle between technology and your mother earth and help the people of earth in their lives. They wouldn't get sick, they wouldn't need much sleep or food, they wouldn't get traumatised, they would be like ordinary citizens, but stronger, while still being dependant on the human race. They would help better the world."

I huffed, "Quite the ambitious plan."

Nick shot me a sharp look and I could swear he nearly smiled.  
"Exactly."

In his pause, I took another look around, even sniffing the air, but the living room and kitchen looked untouched and messy as ever. Apparently, only the upstairs area had been partially destroyed.  
Curious.

"The Misa's needed money for their project and found their hail in Robert Lincoln Coler, CEO of the New Industrial Laboratories, under the impression that it was a governmental organisation and completely legal."

"It wasn't," I guessed.

"No, Mr. Coler had his own plan, but it was still convenient for the Misa's at that time. His partnership gave them money and a place to research and experiment with their plans. It wasn't easy, as you guessed. Technology and life-tissue don't go well together and it wasn't until after the Professor's death that Dr. Misa found they needed a special kind of DNA to mix with the robot body they'd created together."

"How do you know all of this?" I questioned, quite rudely, but my head was spinning with all the information thrust upon me. Would you blame me?

"Macy uploaded it into my databases."

I was left speechless, staring at the boy, still not quite believing what he was saying. Was he, actually a…  
I shook my head.

"The scientist asked the CEO to find the DNA for her and he did…" the boy trailed off, glancing at Kevin, who picked up where he'd left off.

"He found it in me."

Ah. Wow. Okay. _That_ was why they'd attacked him? To take his DNA?

"As you can tell, Coler isn't exactly the kindest type," the boy said bitterly, drawing away from us, "Hurry up, please, Kevin, we need to get a move on," he ordered quietly, wandering back to the living room, out of my sight.

Kevin took a deep breath and I noticed the bags beneath his eyes and wondered if he'd slept at all last night.

"They took my DNA when they kidnapped me and Macy used it to grow the tissue needed for the Humanoid prototype," he continued, "And it was a success, as you can see," he gestured towards where Nick had disappeared, "She created Nick."

"Nick was created out of _your _DNA!" This story kept getting stranger with the minute.

"Yes," Kevin affirmed, not unaffectionally.

I leaned back, surveying him and the gentle look in his eyes with slight suspicion; he cared about this boy, already and I'd seen the same kind of look in Joe's eyes, right before I barged into their little moment yesterday.

God it felt like so much longer.

"Either way," he said, scratching at his head, "Joe somehow got in contact with that Dr. Misa, in the early stages of the project. Nick has recollections of him when he was in development."  
I scrunched my nose, it all sounded so scientifical.  
But it did link some puzzle pieces in my mind.

"So that's why he was gone all the time after your… abduction, isn't it?" I exclaimed.  
I hadn't been that far off when I'd thought he met another woman. I didn't like the hearings of this doctor person one bit.

"He helped activate Nick and because of the bond they'd already formed, according to Nick, the Humanoid-doctor let him help them, but some kind of accident with Coler's daughter stopped that. The doctor went missing and Coler, the CEO, himself took over the project. For some reason, he let Joe help him, too. Nick suspects it was because of the bond again, but we don't know that for sure."

They'd obviously been talking this over while I was asleep.

"So he's been helping the evil CEO?" I was confused now.

"Sort of, yes," Kevin confirmed, "But not really, as well, he just watched Coler's personal scientists test Nick and tried to convince Coler that he was doing it wrong."

"Wrong, how could the boss of that damn project do it _wrong?_" I said, annoyed, crossing my arms over my chest again.

Kevin shot me a look and I closed my mouth, before he continued.

"Because he didn't know everything. He didn't have all the information. Dr. Misa, wherever she is, hasn't told him."

Strong woman, I gave her that, but I kept silent, still didn't like her.

"So, Joe tried to convince Coler to approach things differently, the way Ms. Misa had shown him and eventually managed to get Coler's permission to take Nick home."

The timeline was starting to catch up with present time.

"That's basically where you came in," Kevin concluded as well, "And when Joe went after you, Nick and I were attacked by what we assume were Coler's men. They were after something Nick refers to as 'the Key' though I'm still not quite sure what that means."

From what I heard, they knew very little altogether.

"Nick fought all of them off,"

I stopped Kevin with frantic waves of my arms, "Wait, so it was him upstairs! He seriously fought…."

"Eight men," Kevin supplied helpfully.

"Eight men off on his own?" My eyes were probably bulging out of their raccoon surroundings.

Kevin nodded and I once again looked at the seemingly undamaged room, remembering the wreckage upstairs, "And you saw this?"

"No, I was unconscious," A fait blush tainted Kevin's cheek when I raised my eyebrow.

"But Joe did," he hastily assured me, "and it scared him. That's why he ran off to you," Kevin trailed off and I caught him looking at me expectantly.  
Ah, he wanted me to fill in the blanks now. Okay, sure, whatever.

I sighed; "Joe, I thought he was coming to say sorry, in his usual awkward Joe-fashion,"  
The corners of Kevin's mouth pulled, but he managed to keep a straight face.

"But he was sobbing on his knees when I opened the door and I let him inside, of course, how could I not?" I started to pick the bits of hazed memory from my mind. It scared me how much of it was pretty much blank.

I had wanted to yell at him, before I saw the tears. I felt bad for that now. As I always did after we fought.

Why had I been angry at him again? It seemed so stupid now. Now that I knew _what _he'd been doing, _why _he'd been busy.  
Except that it was all still too weird to wrap my head around.

"He told me his brother, his _new_ brother was a robot that was the reason Kevin– you had been in the hospital and that he was in danger but that it was so much stronger then he thought it was and that it was dangerous and I shouldn't come near it," I summed up, doubting my own words. Wasn't Joe supposed to have a bond with that robot-person?

"I scared him," yeah_, that _person_,_ "When I fought off Coler's men, I scared him off. He was terrified of me."

And cue sympathetic feelings for the robot.

Nick's head was ducked, as if he were ashamed of himself, making me want to reach out to him. His fists were clenched overly tight and shaking, poor thing.

I mentally slapped myself, no time for sentimental feelings right now. To the point.

"He mumbled some more things but…" I tried to go on, but somewhere around that point my memory went blank, "I don't remember much more. Is that all?"

Nick and Kevin shared a look and I immediately felt suspicion creep up on me.

"What?"

Kevin sighed, but Nick was the one that answered; "There's one more thing, follow me."

Both of them walked ahead of me, to their… Kevin's parent's bedroom. Shoulder to shoulder, they blocked my view completely.

"Guys?" I asked pathetically, running a hand through my hair nervously.

Kevin sighed, "You know _why_ you blacked out, Stella?"

I swallowed, "No."

Nick tensed when he walked into the bedroom, holding open the door for me with a dark expression on his face.  
His eyes weren't so familiar anymore, tinted bluish around the edges and it scared me.

"That's because of _him_," he pointed to the chair next to the bed.

I gasped, slapping my hand in front of my mouth as I recognised the tied-up person, feeling Kevin's hands around my upper arms, supporting me when I threatened to drop to the ground.

_ "Ben!" _****

To be continued…

P.s. Dear anonymous reviewers, please get an account so I can reply to your lovely messages to me. It's free, completely anonymous too if you want it to be and I would LOVE to talk to you! Kthanksbye!


	19. of flight and downfall

In which Stella and Joe find truth

_"Ben!"_ the obnoxious blonde girl screeched, her hand quivering in front of her mouth.

Nick watched interestedly for a moment, as the pupils of her eyes widened when the adrenaline reached the tiny muscles. He assumed with quite some certainty that Kevin would be able to catch her, might she fall, so he mostly disconnected his attention from the scene. He released the door of the bedroom and closed it, without it making a sound, while he re-focussed on his calculations. The breeding plan in his head was starting to take shape…

Another, small, part of him tried to see reason in Joe's fondness of this Stella-woman, and paid attention. Thus far, it had drawn a blank and it irritated him. He wasn't particularly happy about unsolved puzzles, no matter how insignificant at this moment of time, but it was tolerable when only 2.4 percent of his capacity was wasted on the matter.

"_You_ did that to me?" she said to Ben—who wouldn't look at her—genuinely outraged, "Why would you do that?"

Nick was surprised by the honest anger in her body language, as well as in her voice, but smiled when he realised he had _underestimated_ her. It didn't happen often.  
Her love for Joe overruled the affection she felt—or had once felt, he corrected himself—for the blonde loverboy. Interesting. She didn't even notice it herself, but it gave Nick a lot to work with.

Barely a second passed as he came to this conclusion.

"You believe us," Kevin said to the blonde, equally relieved. Nick guessed the tiny smile that crossed the girl's face had something to do with Joe's fondness of her. She was actually quite attractive, when she wasn't glaring.

"I trust you, remember?" She said, gently removing his tanned hands from her upper arms, "and though your story sounds like some bad science fiction story on the internet, I think I believe you. It's all too weird not to be real." She was tense, but truthful.

Smart too, impressive. A 3.6 percent of his attention might be worth it, she deserved some kind of upgrade, on more then just the technological level.

Kevin exhaled in relief, "Well, thank god."

Nick brushed past them, towards the stoic boy, expressing his gratitude to the girl with a tiny smile.  
In some ways, she did remind him of Joe and he greatly appreciated that. He… _missed_, his mind supplied, his brother terribly.

"I believe you asked why?" he said to Stella.  
He felt sorry for the betrayal on her face when she nodded, and threaded his fingers through the dirty blonde locks a little more harshly then he would've normally done.

And this was the boy responsible for Joe's abduction.

He pulled Ben's head up harshly.

"Let me introduce you to Benson Edmund Coler, son of the very man who abducted Kevin, son of the the man who kidnapped Joe. The man whose father is trying to use the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project for his own evil goods," Nick said menacingly, the joints in his fingers itching to clench and crush.

Stella stared at Ben with hurt filled eyes. The only thing left of her mouth was a tightly pressed line and she watched stoically when Ben struggled against his bonds, a look of desperation on his face. She was calculating too, he realised.

"I've come to the conclusion that Ben here," Nick continued mercilessly, "was assigned to infiltrate in Joe's life when he stumbled into the project. He found his way through you, Joe's closest friend, and manipulated you. That's the reason for his unwavering attention for you in the last couple of weeks."

"He used me," Stella uttered, her voice stained. She knew Kevin had witnessed her progressing relationship with Ben and believed what he said. There was a brokenness in her voice, an emotion Nick's databases classified as heartbreak, or betrayal. This made him angry, beyond his own recognition for the feeling. Joe loved this girl; therefore, she shouldn't be harmed.

"When things didn't work out for young Mr. Coler, he was punished," the young humanoid gestured to the many bruises and half-healed cuts adorning the nineteen-year-old's body, "Because we certainly didn't do this, I assure you. Then, he was assigned a new mission."

Nick sensed, more then saw, Kevin's hand back on Stella's arm. His eyes were mainly on Coler Jr, but his mind was still busy with the events to come. He would never doubt his own abilities for a second, but there were too many unknown factors; Ben wouldn't talk. 

Why did Coler need the key when he didn't have _him_? Why would he focus on Joe? How much had mother Macy told him about the details of the project?  
He mused over every little detail, trying to fit them into place, while the drama in the room continued.

Kevin was trying to soothe Stella, but his words weren't relieving to her.

"Somewhere, he must've cared for you, because he left you behind when he took Joe," He said, misjudging her affections.

"_You_ took Joe?" she whispered, outraged like Nick had presumed. Ben hadn't had much time with her; the little affection he'd won from her heart was to shallow to save him now.

Ben uttered a muffled cry, pulling at the bounds that restrained him. When his eyes finally met Stella's, they were stark blue and suffering.

Nick pulled the gag, an improvised one made out of a washcloth and some duct-tape, from Ben's mouth and watched his captive smack his mouth in search of nonexistent saliva.

"Ben," Stella pressed, clenching her jaw when Nick forced the blonde to look at her, "is it true? Are you… Is this real?"

She found the truth in his eyes, even when he refused to answer her, and released a pathetic little cry.

Nick confirmed his own suspicions with a nod; Stella hadn't truly believed their story, not until Ben—who had absolutely no reason to conspire against her with Kevin, Joe and himself—confirmed it.

"Now you know," he said regrettably, and he re-gagged Ben, who didn't even make an attempt to struggle.

"Now I know," She echoed, turning away from the scene with disgust on her face.

Somewhere in the living room, a familiar bark alerted all them. Kevin's head turned towards the sound, but Nick only stiffened slightly, tuning his hearing-sensors to listen further.  
A car was turning the corner; they had very little time.

"Quite the remarkable dog you have," He noted dryly, when Elvis raced into the room. The dog pressed his wet nose against Kevin's knee and whined anxiously.

"What's up, boy?" Kevin questioned, crouching down. He didn't notice Nick untying Ben from the chair he'd been seated in.

Nick knew his brother's open mind allowed him to see things in a different light then most humans. Where others would've ignored the dog, Kevin listened.

Nick answered though, for he did doubt the dog's ability to form coherent human sentences.  
"We have to get out of here," he hissed, swinging Ben over his shoulder, and ignoring the muffled protest. He anxiously made his way to the bedroom door.

"Our parents are home," Kevin filled in the blank.  
He jumped to action immediately, with Stella in his trail only mere seconds later. Tom and Sandy had come home earlier then Nick had anticipated, they must have altered their plans, and though their bedroom was more then sufficient as a temporary prison, it wasn't a handy escape route.

"Stella," he addressed the blonde, "please take Elvis with you, his leash is upstairs, if I'm not mistaken."  
She nodded and he saw her hoping for cooperation from the animal. He hoped for the same and immediately decided he didn't like the uncertainty of hope.

"Kevin, take the lead," He ordered, "We'll use the fire-escape."

He opened the door for them and took tail-position as they ran for it, defensive instincts kicking in, but well under control. He didn't want a repeat of last night's episode.

The door opened when they'd only made it halfway up the stairs and Nick knew they would be able to see his feet disappear; feet they didn't know.

"Hurry," He hissed, practically lunging upstairs, and he shot through the door mere milliseconds after Kevin, who pressed it closed.

Nick easily lifted Ben of his shoulders and motioned for Kevin to take him instead, before he approached the broken window. It was the only way towards the fire-escape.

He probably used more force then necessary, when pulled nearly the entire window frame out of the wall, but it would have to suffice.

Stella had found Elvis's leash and Nick was fairly sure they'd make it when they jumped through the hole in the wall first. There was only a chance of point-oh-four that she wouldn't trust them now.  
Kevin and Ben were a whole different matter; Kevin was strong, but the Coler boy was a fully grown human male. Nick didn't have _much_ experience with them, but he knew they were heavy. Very heavy; especially when they were muscled.  
The offer of switching again when he saw Kevin struggle down the ladder had almost left his lips when a soft, startled gasp drew his attention.

He jump turned around, feeling his defensive mechanisms kick in, but refusing to let them activate fully; he'd learned his lesson.  
Everything in him felt like it deflated—a very scary feeling, might he add—when he saw who was standing in the doorstep.

Sandy Lucas; the mother to his DNA.

It took all his technological restraint to stay where he was. He took in her tousled reddish-brown hair and panicked eyes and wanted nothing more then to comfort her.  
She'd only seen him once; he'd been introduced as a friend of Joe's. She'd left for a nightly party/convention with her husband somewhere between his arrival and Stella's interruption.  
She came home to a partially destroyed house, with none of her beloved son's in sight and him standing in the middle of the wreckage. Not to mention next to partially dried pools of blood. Comforting her was the least favourable option here.

Identical brown eyes stared into each other for a second before Sandy Lucas started to scream. It tore through his body like laser beams.

Nick was out of the window in a flash, where he experienced an emotion alike to the one he'd felt when he lost Joe.  
He realised that, despite the genes they shared, she would never know he was—in theory—partially her son.  
And she shouldn't ever know. All he brought to those he loved was pain.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()SCENE CHANGE()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

He'd thought the sterile white had been a assault to his eyes, and would've traded it for anything. Some kind of colour, some kind of flaw in the perfect, broken white.  
He would've traded it for anything, _anything_, except this unnatural, painfully bright, blue light. It made his eyes squint and his muscles tense and his head ache like Stella's safety-pins were shoved into the skull.  
More then that, it made him remember the soft, pulsing blue of Nick's insides.

This was different, wrong, and he closed his eyes to keep it out. He turned his head from the sight Coler wanted him to see when they walked through the last pair of automatic doors.

He was pretty certain they weren't in the N.I.L. close to JONAS-street anymore.

Rough hands forced his head to straighten and Coler's voice spiked the want for knowledge.

"Watch, dear Joseph, my beloved creations. My guarantee for world-domination."

Joe opened his eyes and stared into the gigantic, misty hall—again, perfectly sterile-white—filled with familiar laboratory tables and tools, along with lab-coated scientists. To his horror, the source—or rather; sources—of the bright blue light were bodies. Naked bodies on the tables.  
If he hadn't seen it before, this would've seriously freaked him out.

It still did, actually.

There were dozens of them. Hundreds, maybe. Silent and unmoving like corpses, computers buzzing next to them and attached to tubes and wires of all sizes and colours.

Humanoids.

Joe shivered, and not because of the chill that hung in the room.

Each one had one or two scientists moving around them or reading data from their attached machinery. The scientists feet were invisible, hidden from view by the white fog that drifted two feet from the ground.  
Joe noticed the woman with the bun and the knitted eyebrows, the narrow man with the gigantic glasses and the one that had always been nagging Nick with needles. He recognised so many faces from Nick's testing-trial, all in his peripheral vision; he'd gotten quite good at that, lately.

For the first time, he wondered what Coler had told them. What did they think they were doing? Helping out with saving the world through Humanoids?  
Joe failed to believe all of them were okay with the idea of destroying it.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Coler asked him rhetorically.  
His eyes behind his glasses flashed a similar kind of unnatural blue, Joe noticed and shuddered.

Joe didn't acknowledge him, like before, but Coler continued nonetheless, knowing his next sentence would startle the scraped, probably scarred for life, young man.

"You'll be pleased to hear that your blood, dear Joseph, is the key to this unstoppable army," Coler's hands, crossed behind his bag, squeezed the tip of his cane pleasedly when Joe's face, tired and submissive, twitched with interest.

Coler started walking through the aisles, surveying his precious new humanoids with smug, yet cold eyes. The seemingly broken boy was forced to follow him by the doctor _slash _bodyguard behind him.

"I see you haven't completely lost your curiosity. I will have to talk to Penny about that, but it pleases me for now," Coler spoke, swinging his cane like he owned the place.

_Which he did_, Joe reminded himself.

"You see, Joseph, you aren't the only one in your family with exceptional genes," he said and Joe turned his head towards him, only slightly; he didn't want to miss anything Coler said.

"Do you remember one of the first times you entered Dr. Misa's laboratory?" The CEO asked, expecting nothing but the stoic glance in return, "I believe it was the second, maybe third time you fainted."

Coler was most certainly underestimating him now, Joe realised, by the way he was so shamelessly taunting him freely.

"Dr. Misa, curious and caring as she is, was worried enough to thoroughly examine you when you were under and this involved a lab on your blood. Too curious for her own good, isn't she?"  
Joe could say amen to that.

They walked further through the hall filled with humanoids, painfully similar to Nick as he was in the very beginning, though Joe doubted—for obvious reasons—that they were anything alike.

"Your 'Nick' wasn't the first humanoid Macy Misa created," Joe's head snapped up and he cursed himself for Coler's slightly surprised, but bemused expression as he watched him, "He was simply the first to survive the initial programming process."

Coler ran his hands over the exposed skin of some of the humanoids and Joe noticed the N.I.L. logo, Coler's logo, tattooed on their wrists. A cross with a circle.

"I only learned of this later, so she programmed _him_ to her own tastes. Meaning she hardly programmed him at all. His flesh survived the technical assault not only because if the extraordinary advanced DNA we stole from your brother, but mainly because your blood, Joseph, runs through his veins."

Joe couldn't believe his ears. Nick was alive because of him? Nick lived because of his blood. Joe was a part of Nick.  
Wow. Just… wow.

He didn't show his surprise, of course and Coler didn't need him to.

"We're not sure exactly how it works, though we will now that we have the source," Coler glanced at Joe again, "but as soon as it comes in contact with our humanoids, it seems to glue their genes together. It keeps it a whole, where our previous experiments simply fell apart. It allows us to program the technology within the biological tissue."

Throughout the man's story, they'd reached the end of the hall, where Coler halted their little party. He didn't say anything anymore and for a moment, Joe seriously feared for what was to come.

A door slightly to their right slid open and Joe swallowed inaudibly when Penny stepped arrogantly over the doorstep.

"Do you remember when my daughter interfered with Dr. Misa's pathetic excuse for a testing-sequence?"

Penny's attack, of course he remembered _that_. How could he not, it had knocked him out for hours too long, worrying his family again.

He winced as he remembered their worry for him over the course of all the weeks he'd been gone.  
His parents hadn't questioned him, and neither had Kevin after their fight in the cafeteria, but he nearly lost Stella in the process.

And such great things he gained, Joe mused sarcastically in his own head as he stared into Penny's sneering face.

It was almost the same expression she'd worn that specific day Coler was referring to, he recalled.

Then he realised; if he'd been out for hours that day, then…

"It gave us the time to examine you again and draw a minimum of blood from you," Coler unconsciously added to his thoughts.

Joe stared fearfully at the gaping hole in the wall. Footsteps approached them. He could nearly smell what was going to happen.

"The samples we took from the Scandinavian exchange student and your little girlfriend grew fairly quickly, though slower then usual without Ms. Misa's information."

Coler meant Kevin's friend in the hospital and the pretty blonde girl Joe had saved, Joe realised with horror. Why hadn't he remembered them sooner? He could've known they were part of the project too, especially after he found out about Coler's… evilness.

At the time, he'd thought the assaults stopped because he told Coler about Penny's attack. He had forgotten about them altogether in the weeks afterwards, and when Kevin was released from the hospital—was there still contact between his older brother and his victim-friend?—all his time had been spent with Nick.

Joe fidgeted in guilt. He should've remembered; could've told Nick this before everything happened. It didn't matter that he'd believed Coler's story up until a few hours ago. It didn't matter that, at the time, there had been no reason for him to think of the accidents again.

But now that he'd seen Coler's real face, he regretted never having discussed this with Nick; he would've figured it out.

Kevin had been used to create Nick. That would only mean that Coler had used the DNA of the other two girls, combined with the little amount of Joe's blood, to create other ones.

And he wanted to conquer the world with them.

The man was seriously insane. Dangerous. With very advanced, dangerous weapons, ready at his fingertips.

Weapons that, at that very moment, stepped into their view.

They were tall, blonde and familiar looking females, and Joe swallowed as he realised what Coler was about to tell him.

"Joseph, let me introduce you to Kimmi Heart, Humanoid created from source 7.06; Anya Ülav," He extended his hand towards the white-blonde girl in puffy clothes, who giggled dramatically when she put her pink-tip-manicured hand into his, "And Fiona Skye, Humanoid created from source 7.07; Vanessa Page."

She humanoid that took his other hand was startlingly beautiful, with green eyes, rather then the pale grey of the other one and hair only a shade or so lighter then Penny's, who was standing behind her father.

"It's a shame, really; source 7.05 was pretty extraordinary and served us well, but look around you, Joseph," Coler said, smiling at his creations, "With them, I don't even need Nick Lucas anymore."

Joe swallowed as he turned around, acknowledging the fear housing in his chest as he surveyed the bodies, so many bodies, lying on the tables. They were motionless, but not for much longer.

Joe grasped the bandage on his left elbow and held in a frightened whimper. All of this thanks to his blood that allowed Coler to program the Humanoids to his own will. All these creations with so much potential, doomed to slavery. All thanks to his blood.

Angry tears jumped to his eyes when he realised these Humanoids, Nick's siblings in a way, would probably never know the freedom, the emotions, the _life _that Macy Misa had given Nick. They were held together, but also bound by _his _blood that filled their veins.  
He wasn't even aware they had those.

All because of his…

No.

Joe gritted his teeth as he turned around to Coler, surprising the man by the fire that suddenly re-lit in his eyes. A burning hatred coursed through his body.  
The Misa's had given them their bodies; their source's genes had given them life. Joe's blood was the connection between the two and _Coler _was the one that wanted to destroy that, their life, and use their bodies and take everything away from them.

He planned to use them to attack innocent people, to take over their civilisation and enslave even more lives, if Joe had interpreted him correctly. People like his parents, his brothers and his friends.  
The thought alone enraged him.

And Joe swore, right then and there, that he would stop Coler, no matter what it would take. No matter how much it would cost him, he would put a stop to this and wipe that arrogant smile off his face once and for all.

Joe might have been pretty obvious to the world, but he stopped being that way a long time ago, thanks to the persons Coler had taken away from him. Thanks to Macy, to Stella, Kevin. Thanks to Nick.  
He'd never truly hated anyone, never had any reason to, but he did now.

He hated the man with sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes in front of him. He hated Robert Lincoln Coler more then he'd ever hated anyone.  
And he would regret it.


End file.
